


Sugared Starlight and Candied Collars

by beachbby



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alpha Angeal, Alpha Genesis, Alpha Sephiroth, Alpha Zack, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Breeding Kink, Consensual Somnophilia, Intersex Omegas, Knotting, M/M, Multi, Omega Cloud, Omega Verse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Porn With Plot, Sex Work, Sex Worker Cloud, Squirting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:15:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 43,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26533459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beachbby/pseuds/beachbby
Summary: In all his time working as an omega-for-hire, Cloud Strife had never expected to be contacted by Shinra. It seemed outlandish, completely unheard of, but it was real. Being hired to help the First Class SOLDIERs through their ruts was something he would have never thought possible.Well, at least he was quick to adapt. He had a feeling the SOLDIERs were going to be more demanding than his usual clientele.-AU: Omega-for-hire Cloud is known for keeping alphas company during their ruts. He's contacted by a desperate Rufus Shinra in a final last ditch effort to keep the Firsts from destroying company property when their ruts hit.
Relationships: Angeal Hewley/Cloud Strife, Genesis Rhapsodos/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Angeal Hewley/Genesis Rhapsodos/Sephiroth, Zack Fair/Angeal Hewley/Genesis Rhapsodos/Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 165
Kudos: 880





	1. Chapter 1

If someone told Cloud a week ago that he would be sitting in the private backroom of a high class restaurant with the First Class SOLDIERs and the President of Shinra, he would have laughed so hard that he pissed himself. 

The real life experience wasn’t nearly as amusing as the concept itself was. 

He took a small sip of his drink, closer to tears than he was to laughter. 

This was overwhelmingly awkward. 

The low light of the private room made the situation feel, hmm, oddly intimate, but dangerous all the same. The dark red of the leather seat cushions combined with the dark wood of the furniture made it feel almost dream-like. The group in front of him were all wearing suits, formal, and he felt out of place. Whoever had organized this told him to come to this meeting as he normally would to a date. 

The scooped neckline of the dark, tight shirt he’d chosen felt almost humiliating in this context. 

He hadn’t known what to expect from the cold call from Shinra he’d gotten a few days ago, but this was entirely separate from what he’d considered to be in the realm of possibility. 

To be frank, he’d thought he was in trouble, despite his job being entirely legal. Not to mention the fact that Shinra couldn’t discipline him, but he couldn’t help but be concerned. 

“You’ve read over the proposal I sent to you, correct?” The President asked, breaking the silence with a voice that was velvety-smooth and Cloud nodded, relieved that there was now something for them to actually talk about. 

Apparently, they needed to hire an omega for a few of the alpha SOLDIERs. Continued property damage during ruts was the main point of concern, at least according to the proposal. He just hadn’t expected that it would be the Firsts that needed help, he’d assumed that they had more control over themselves. 

“Of course,” he said, not liking the rising ire he could smell radiating from the red-haired First. “I’m just curious, why are you coming to me for this job?” If there was anything the company had, it was options. Cloud couldn’t help but wonder why they had chosen him from all the omegas that advertised themselves as rut companions. 

The Firsts shifted, nearly all of them looking as uneasy as he felt, save for _Sephiroth_ (and wasn’t that interesting?) as the President answered, completely unruffled. “We keep track of who our SOLDIERs share their ruts with. You stood out from the others. It’s not every day that an omega will allow a SOLDIER to share more than one rut with them.” 

_Fucking Roche._ Cloud should have guessed that he’d had something to do with this. 

There was an unspoken question hiding underneath the President’s words and Cloud figured it would be best to answer, not wanting to drag this conversation out for longer than was necessary. 

“The SOLDIER was fine, enthusiastic maybe, but nothing I couldn’t handle.” There was a snort from one of the Firsts, the younger one with the spiky hair, and Cloud fought to keep his face straight. The President raised a brow and he stared back, refusing to back down. 

It wasn’t like he was lying. Roche had been intense, but Cloud had dealt with worse when he worked with Corneo. 

“It is for that reason that we chose you.” The President said, evidently accepting his answer. “It’s difficult to find omegas that are willing to face a SOLDIER in rut more than once, let alone regularly.” His eyes turned dangerous and Cloud narrowed his own as his voice turned lower. “There also weren’t any issues with pregnancy, quite difficult to find an omega that is trustworthy in that regard.” 

Cloud shivered, suddenly feeling cold. “I’m on birth control. I don’t intend on ever getting pregnant.” 

The President kept pushing, gaze severe. “And in the likelihood that you were to fall pregnant?” 

“I would get rid of it.” Cloud snapped, his irritation rising to the surface before he was able to tamp it down. He could feel the way the alphas startled and he continued, not appreciating the scrutiny. “When I said I don’t intend on ever getting pregnant, I meant it. Not all omegas want to trap every SOLDIER they see with a child. I don’t appreciate the insinuation.” 

It took a moment but the President huffed out a short laugh, just before Cloud could begin to fear that he’d said something wrong or offended him somehow. 

“We’ll hold you to that if you accept the job.” 

He sounded so smug that Cloud was already irritated. There was a pause over their group for a moment, before he acquiesced with a nod, the President starting up once again. “If you accept the offer, you will be paid per rut day that you work. Your normal rate that you advertised will be increased, the company plans on being generous if you are able to work with us. STD tests will be required before each rut, as will pregnancy tests each month. You are permitted to work with other clients, but we will take priority over them.” A thin smile, Cloud watched as the man absentmindedly picked up his wine glass. “Are there any conditions that you require, personally?” 

He shot a glance towards the Firsts, taking in their artificially neutral expressions for a moment before speaking. “I need all of that in writing, first off. I also refuse to be marked during sessions. I require that I wear a rut collar to keep it from happening.” 

All the close calls he’d had when alphas mouthed at his neck, their teeth almost piercing through the thick leather to mark him properly, played in the back of his mind. He’d be damned if he went in there with a bare neck.

“It’s a hard limit, I’ll refuse the deal if you won’t allow me that.” He finished, watching the thin smile on the President’s face shift into something a touch more genuine. Not enough to take away all his worries, but enough to humanize him a little. 

“Perfectly understandable. I have a contract here with me that you can sign at your leisure. We just require that it is turned in before the end of this week, to give you some time to think it over.” He was hard to read. Cloud didn’t like it. At least the scummier types he’d worked with before were blatant about it, reveled in it, even. This man was more difficult to get a proper read of. 

“Alright,” he said, eyeing the way the President took a quick swallow of his wine, his Adams apple bobbing with the action.

“Perfect,” the President said, standing with little flourish, bringing his glass with him as he turned, waving lazily with his free hand. “I’ll leave you all to discuss privately. A bit of chemistry will be necessary for this to work out, I’m certain.” 

The door closed behind him and Cloud blinked, thrown off for a moment before one of the Firsts cleared his throat, voice rough. “So-“ one of the dark haired ones spoke, the one with the face scar that had laughed earlier. “It’s nice to meet you. This must be a lot, huh?” He grinned, smile wide and bright and Cloud was grateful that he’d steamrolled through the residual tension. 

He let a small smile slip over his face, lips curling a bit. “A little, I’ve had worse business meetings though, so it wasn’t too bad.” The man grinned, still energetic. A sharp snort from one of the others made him grimace, though, and Cloud glanced over at the one that had done it. 

“Business is quite a strong word for it.” The red haired man grumbled, moving to grab his own glass of wine, nursing it with a scowl on his face. 

Cloud wasn’t in the mood to even begin to have that argument. He ignored him with a wan smile, “I don’t think I introduced myself to you guys yet. You can call me Cloud if you want.” The irritation he could smell from the man was heavy, masculine with a hint of spice to it that stuck to the back of Cloud’s throat. 

The smiley one gave him a look of encouragement, and Cloud could see the relief in his face. “I’m Zack, it’s cool to meet you!” He gestured to the man to his left, who gave Cloud a politely distant smile. If anything, it was comforting that he wasn’t the only one who felt out of their element. 

“Angeal, I’m Angeal.” 

“Genesis,” the introduction was almost spat out and Cloud ignored it. He’d dealt with ruder people before, it wasn’t as if it was the end of the world. 

Sephiroth gave him a look, head tilting just a little to the side as he examined Cloud for a brief moment. “I’m Sephiroth,” he said, evidently working through the thoughts that had been giving him pause. Cloud nodded, the drink in his hands slowly growing warmer as his body heat seeped into the glass. He knew who Sephiroth was, he figured that it would be fairly difficult to find someone in Midgar who didn’t, but letting the man introduce himself wasn’t much of a hardship. 

Zack laughed, breaking the brief silence that had settled over them, a huff of air that sounded almost forced, his emerging discomfort palpable. “So you’re good at dealing with SOLDIERs when they’re in rut?” There was an edge of _something_ to his voice that Cloud couldn’t place.

Well, it was better just to push forward. 

“Yeah,” he said, leaning back in his seat, hearing the leather of it creak slightly as he settled his weight into it. “It’s intense, yeah, but not too bad. I’ll be able to help you guys through your ruts if you need me to.” He tried to soothe him, unruffle any feathers that were out of place. 

Genesis saw through his passive language, snorting as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You say that as if we have much choice in the matter.” His words were sharp and Cloud blinked, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach when none of the other Firsts moved to correct him. 

Zack averted his eyes, looking instead at the floor as Angeal did the same. Sephiroth still staring at him with the same unnatural gaze, as if he was searching him for answers Cloud wasn’t sure he had. 

“If you’re being forced into this, just tell me and I can leave.” He said, straightening in his seat, unease rapidly shifting into a burning anger. If the President was trying to _force_ them into this then Cloud was going to be as combative as possible, potential profits be damned. “I’ll talk to the other omegas I know and get them to blacklist Shinra as a customer too.” 

He tightened his hands into fists, feeling his fingernails bite into his palms. If Shinra was _daring_ to ask him to do something like this, then he would do what he could to fuck up their plans. 

Genesis looked at him, eyes searching, as Zack spoke, voice less stilted than it had been before, as if he was growing more comfortable. _Fuck,_ Cloud should’ve noticed something was wrong here. “It’s not that we’re being forced, really, it’s just that we don’t have many more options at this point.” His eyebrows furrowed and Cloud felt the urge to reach over and smooth it out. “Shinra has been, well, accommodating. But it’s difficult to adjust to ruts when we have Mako enhancements.” He laughed, but Cloud could tell that it was more for show than anything else. 

Cloud had heard about those before, the enhancements, mentioned distantly at first, and then outright brought up by Roche the first few times they were together. He frowned, mulling over his words for a moment before speaking, his voice softer than normal. “Difficult how? The only thing that was mentioned to me was property damage, so I don’t know much about your guys’s situation.” 

He watched as Zack glanced over at Angeal, the other alpha sighing, answering with a low voice, an edge of embarrassment to it. “Before the enhancements it was easier to control mood swings and the general desires that come from ruts. It’s become exponentially more difficult to manage, however, as time goes on. Grinning and bearing it has become near impossible.” 

That sounded terrible. 

His mind strayed back to the aphrodisiacs that Corneo would use to drag their heats out, and he shivered, gathering himself after a quick moment. No one deserved to feel that way. 

“So you just need an omega that can handle a few days of rough treatment, right?” He asked, still keeping his voice gentle, eyeing the way the tips of Zack’s ears pinked. “To even out the hormones and everything, yeah?” 

It happened, sometimes. It wasn’t common, though. Most of the time ruts could be handled by themselves fairly easily. It spoke volumes about just how much the Mako enhancements effected them. 

“Yeah,” Zack rasped, answering on behalf of Angeal, the larger alpha looking briefly pained. 

An uneasy silence settled over them all, Sephiroth breaking it with a small breath, his expression unchanging. “Under normal circumstances, having a partner in general would suffice. From what I’ve learned, this is a hormonal issue that we are having.” Hmm. 

Cloud had a feeling that they were leaving something out, but he wasn’t sure. Oh well, it wasn’t like he could press for more information. He couldn’t imagine any situation where pressing the issue right now would work out in his favor. It was best to let them lead the conversation. 

“Okay, that makes sense.” He said, glancing down at his cup, the amber liquid inside providing him with no answers. He pursed his lips for a brief moment, looking back up at them once he gathered the courage. “I’ll be able to help you out, but only if you would be fine with it. Consent is also a requirement for me, I’m not going to touch you if you wouldn’t be alright with it.” 

Genesis huffed, but didn’t speak, staring at his own drink as Zack gave him a smile, tired, but genuine. “That makes me feel better about this all, really.” A pause, his smile turning more devious. “You work with a lot of alphas during their ruts, right? You’re pretty good at this talking thing.” 

That startled a laugh out of him. 

Of all things he’d been told he was good at, talking was not one of them. 

“Pretty frequently, yeah. It _is_ my job.” He smiled, taking a sip from his drink and resisting the urge to grimace when it was lukewarm. “I’m alright with pretty much anything during your ruts. I’m sure you guys wouldn’t be able to come up with something that I haven’t done already.” 

That earned him a snort from Angeal, an odd feeling of success filling him at the realization that he’d made him laugh. 

Genesis spoke, after a brief pause, his gaze calculating. “You do realize that if you agree to this, you may be in over your head, right?” Oh, Cloud already felt overwhelmed with this situation, but they didn’t have to know that. 

“If I’m in over my head, then we can renegotiate things in the future.” He said, answering in the most neutral way possible. If the finer details of the contract truly didn’t work out in his favor, then he could simply refuse to sign it. The lack of stress that an immediate response normally required was like a breath of fresh air. 

Genesis gave him a long look, as if he was trying to read him. Cloud had no idea what he was looking for. 

Being constantly picked apart and analyzed for answers was beginning to wear him down. 

It was Zack that spoke, sounding distantly relieved. “Okay, yeah, I think you’re honestly our best option at this point.” He gave him an embarrassed smile, moving to rub at the back of his head. “We’ve met with a few others and it hasn’t gone that well.” 

Yeah, Cloud could imagine that it wouldn’t. 

He gave him an amused smile, feeling a little warm at that. “It happens. Arrangements like this aren’t that common, they might have gotten scared off because of it.” Normally, discussions with service omegas only involved one other person. Four was honestly pushing it. This was edging into risky territory, even for Cloud. He paused, mentally going back over the conversation and speaking up again, more tentatively. “This is time sensitive, isn’t it?” 

The silence that followed his words was the only answer he needed. Zack speaking after a moment, but Cloud could tell it was reluctant. “Yeah, our ruts are gonna be soon. We’re figuring stuff out before it happens but we’re cutting it close.” He figured. He could almost taste the tension in the room on his tongue. 

“That makes sense.” 

This entire situation was throwing him off. It felt, well, weird. Weird that the Firsts were admitting to having control issues. 

Cloud had always assumed they were the epitome of self control, turns out he was wrong. 

A knock at the door drew their attention, and Cloud straightened as the President stepped back into the room. Another insincere smile was thrown his way and frankly, Cloud was growing sick of it. 

“I do hope you all became acquainted during my absence.” He said, and Cloud answered with a stiff nod, fidgeting and picking at his fingernails just to have something to distract himself with. “Mr. Strife,” he looked up, quietly accepting the stack of papers the President handed to him. “Unless there are any more questions that you need answered, I believe that we may be done here.” 

He blinked, looking down at the papers and feeling an odd thrill at the realization that it was a contract. 

“Uh, no questions, but-” He said, awkward, eyes darting back up to look at the President. “Can you send me a digital copy of the contract as well?” Keeping his records straight was going to be necessary, here. 

The President gave him a wan smile as he settled back into his seat. The Firsts were uncharacteristically (at least, Cloud got the impression that it was out of character) silent as the man spoke. “Of course, of course. Anything else?” 

His tone made him feel embarrassed for even asking in the first place, he could feel his cheeks heat. “No, thank you.” He stood, setting his unfinished drink on the table as he moved to leave. “I’ll be sure to get back to you with a reply soon.” 

“Be sure you do that.” The President said, his voice dry, and Cloud opened the door, exiting with a small “goodbye.” 

He didn’t allow himself to relax until he could hear the door click shut behind him. 

The hallway was blessedly empty, and he gave himself a moment to hang his head, embarrassment threatening to overwhelm him. 

A thin sigh left him and he moved his free hand up to rub at his eyes, already tired. 

Well, it was time for him to back to his apartment and scream into a pillow for three hours straight. 

Fuck, this was already a headache. 

-

It had been two days since the meeting and Cloud was certain that the contract was going to burn a hole through his coffee table. 

It looked innocent enough but Cloud knew better. 

He just couldn’t force himself to part with it, though. 

Every time he thought about this _ridiculous_ situation that had been thrown at him without warning, he wanted to scream. It was _embarrassing_ having the higher ups at a company like Shinra know who he was, and even more embarrassing that they knew who he was because he had an apparent reputation as one of the only sex workers that could handle SOLDIERs. 

He normally prided himself in his stamina but this was a different type of humiliation. 

But still , every time he went to throw away the contract, or went to email a rejection back to the President, he paused. 

It was all the Firsts fault. 

Zack hadn’t done much to reassure him that they weren’t really being forced, not that Cloud could blame him, he wouldn’t put it past the higher ups to have monitored their conversation. 

And, to be fair, Cloud had also exaggerated the willingness of the other sex workers he knew. He would hope that a majority of them would be willing to blacklist Shinra, but he knew more than a handful that would be thrilled for the opportunity to be with the Firsts, despite the potential for bodily harm. As much as it burned him to say, the President was right in the sense that a few omegas would attempt to get pregnant from one of them.

Sephiroth, especially. Cloud didn’t even want to think about what some of the scummier service omegas would be willing to do. 

Cloud found himself sympathizing with the Firsts more than he necessarily liked. 

A sigh left him and he massaged at his temples, overlooking the contract for the umpteenth time, being careful to scan for any potential issues. 

It was fair, more than fair. Not to mention the _payment_ they were offering him. Fuck, he could get rid of over half of his clients right now if he went through with it. 

That alone was almost enough to convince him. 

He looked down at the forms, eyes tired, another sigh forcing its way from his mouth as he finally caved, reaching for the pen he’d left on the table. 

Whatever, if this worked out terribly he could always sign the offered NDA and back out of the agreement. The contract had emphasized that as an option more than once. 

The finality of the signature had his stomach twisting, and he grimaced. 

Fuck. 

-

The relief in the email he received after alerting them that he was going through it was almost palpable, and it was almost reassuring to sense the desperation. 

It made him feel like he had at least some weight in this situation. 

It might be scummy of him but he knew better than to walk into situations where he held no power. 

The President went over more details with him, reintroducing himself as Rufus, asking Cloud to call him that now that the agreement was finalized. He got a magnetic card and ID that allowed him to move freely through the necessary spaces, a shipment of the Shinra-grade birth control they were requiring him to use, and had an STD test, being cleared after the results came back clean. 

After that, though, it was a waiting game. 

Apparently he was going to be contacted when one of the Firsts required his help. 

Interesting. 

He stress-ate an entire carton of ice cream the first night of waiting, but was able to get ahold of himself as the days dragged on. 

Cloud knew it was going to happen eventually, he did, but when his phone chimed with the Shinra-specific ringtone he’d assigned to it, he felt the same dread from before churn in his gut. 

A breath left him and he braced himself as he opened his phone, scanning the message as his mind tried to make sense of the words there. 

_First Class SOLDIER Zack Fair has started his rut. Your assistance is required within the hour._

Okay. He blinked, setting his phone down on the table with a click and pausing, having to look at it a second time. Okay. Okay. They really did not give him any time to prepare, huh? 

_You can do it, Cloud._ He reassured himself, breathing in deep and starting towards his bedroom, mentally cataloguing all the things he would need to bring. _This is your job, if there’s anything you’re good at, it’s your job._

He wrenched opened his closet door, falling to his knees and pulling out the plastic tub of toys he’d collected over the years. 

The sizes and shapes varied, the smell of the toy cleanser he used making his nose twitch in irritation. 

When he found what he was looking for, a relieved sigh left him. _Thank goodness._

Alright, well, he better get to work. He didn’t have much time to prepare. 

-

When the security guards and secretaries let him through the building with just a flash of his card, apparently having been briefed on the situation, he was so relieved he felt weak with it. 

The interior of the Shinra building was a winding maze, and he had to be redirected more than once to the housing areas. 

The First Class SOLDIERs had their own floor entirely to themselves, their apartments probably exponentially larger than the other Classes, and Cloud was grateful for it. Alphas tended to get possessive during their ruts and Cloud didn’t even want to _consider_ how that may be impacted by the SOLDIER status. The cold air of the building made him shiver, feeling vaguely uncomfortable and over-hot in his outfit, his body realizing that something was about to happen and winding itself up in preparation. 

He stepped through the hallway, the silence of it feeling nearly oppressive, as he scanned for the room number he’d been given in the follow-up text. 

Somehow he’d managed to be five minutes early, even with everything that he’d had to do, and he couldn’t stop himself from feeling the first-time jitters he got every time he met with a new client. 

When he smelled just the smallest hint of musk permeate the hallway, he knew he was in the right place. His nose twitched and he followed the direction the scent was coming from, his concerns melting away when he could smell the edge of pain that was infecting the warm scent. 

That wasn’t good at all. If anything, heats were the cycles that were meant to be painful. If he was in pain then it must be unimaginably severe. 

He paused in front of the door, nose twitching again as he moved to knock at it. 

The door opened before he got a chance to even touch the metal, the sudden movement startling a flinch out of him. He blinked, having to crane his neck up to make eye contact with the SOLDIER. Zack looked back down at him, his eyes half lidded and glassy and Cloud swallowed, the scent washing over him, overwhelming him for a brief moment. A hand wrapped around his forearm, pulling him into the space, and he let himself be maneuvered. 

His grip was firm, insistent, but not painful, and it was _hot_ , Cloud could feel the heat radiating off the alpha as he was pulled closer towards him. 

“Zack-“ He said, words cutting off as the alpha grunted, slamming the door shut with a sharp sound and crowding him towards the wall. He stepped backwards, movements uneasy as he tried to steady himself, Zack leaning further into his space. Cloud huffed out a breath, his back hitting the wall with a dull thud. The hand let go of from his arm, moving instead to grip at his hips, squeezing and kneading at his skin as Zack buried his head into the meat of Cloud’s neck. 

For a moment, they were both quiet, save for the sound of Zack’s panting as he breathed in Cloud’s scent. 

He opened his mouth, just a little, breathing in and taking in the alpha’s scent. Allspice and cedar coated his tongue, fiery undertones that reminded him of cooked meat hit the back of his throat and he swallowed, hearing his throat click. There was still an air of pain to it, metallic, and when a tremor ran through Zack, he could smell it flare up again. 

He risked moving his hand up to scratch at Zack’s scalp, the guttural moan that left the alpha in response to it told him all he needed to know. “Good boy,” Cloud murmured, voice low, shivering at the warm puff of air breathed into his shoulder in response to that. “Can you tell me what you need?” He asked, moving his free hand to press lightly at Zack’s stomach, the alpha burying his nose deeper into Cloud’s throat in response. 

A heavy, open-mouthed kiss was pressed against his neck and he shivered again, scratching again at Zack’s scalp, the hair already growing wet with sweat. 

With the hand he’d pressed against his stomach, Cloud began tracing the lines of the muscles he could feel. They were corded and strong, jumping underneath his gentle touch as strain made them tremble with exertion, and he kept going, satisfaction filling him when he could feel them finally relax underneath his fingertips. 

Zack rumbled, the sound of it deep and soothing and Cloud let himself relax. The cool wall behind him was rapidly heating up and he breathed in carefully, scenting at the air and making sure that everything was alright, that the pain hadn’t flared up again. 

There was still a bit of the pain from earlier, most likely from the strain this had to be causing the alpha, but he was relieved to learn that it had gone down, at least a little. 

Zack still had yet to answer him and Cloud was worried. If he was already going non-verbal on him then this was going to be a difficult few days. “Zack, come on, tell me what you need.” He tried to goad him into answering, sucking in a heavy breath when the alpha pressed a meaty thigh in between his legs. 

The warmth was almost overwhelming, his stomach tightened around nothing and he could feel himself slowly growing wet at the intense scent. 

“Cloud,” Zack grunted, voice low, and relief made him feel weak. Okay, okay, that was all he needed. 

Zack’s hands moved underneath his shirt, calloused hands pressing against the soft skin of his stomach and Cloud sighed, shifting and allowing the alpha to pull it up and over his head. A pleased sound left him, Zack pressing another kiss against his neck as he tossed the fabric out of their way. 

Cloud unbuckled his belt, the metal clinking lightly as he toed his boots off. Skin to skin contact would hopefully reduce the alpha’s feral behavior and he was more than willing to help. 

His clothes pooled on the floor and Zack let out a pleased noise, deep in his throat, his hands moving to knead at Cloud’s thighs. Cloud let out a thin breath, the sensation warm and pleasant, Zack’s motions were gentle, despite his heavy panting. 

If he was like this on the first day of his rut, Cloud had no idea what he would be like on his third, or fourth, day without a partner. 

_Well,_ he thought to himself, letting a soft moan slip out of him as Zack licked a heavy line up the side of his neck, skating over the collar Cloud had clipped on. _I shouldn’t worry about that now. I need to get busy with work._

Zack’s fingers twitched as he dragged them over Cloud’s ass, the flesh pliant and flexible under his touch, and Cloud hitched a leg up around his hip. Zack huffed out another breath, the warmth of it making him shiver, as he moved one hand up to grip at his thigh, holding it up higher against him. The other hand kneaded at his ass, the fingers quietly demanding, and Cloud let out an airy laugh. 

“Here, look,” he rasped, freeing one of his hands to reach behind himself, feeling Zack pause for a moment. Cloud grinned, moving to touch at the plastic end of the plug he’d fit into himself. He grabbed it, easing it out of himself with a slick sound, both his holes twitching at the loss. He pulled it out, clenching around nothing for a moment as his cock twitched against Zack’s stomach. He held it up to the other with a grin, watching as Zack’s eyes dilated, the darkness of his pupils entirely consuming his irises. 

Cloud tossed the plug out of the way, hearing it land on the floor with a thud. “I prepped myself, you can, _ah-_ “ he cut himself off, the large fingers pressing into the hole he’d opened. A pleased rumble ran through Zack and Cloud sighed, high and thin as two fingers filled him at once. 

The alpha was panting, his cheeks pinking, and Cloud moaned, his cunt dripping when the callouses of his fingers rubbed against his insides. “Good boy, add another.” He hurried him forward, tightening his leg around Zack’s waist as the alpha growled, pulling Cloud up and against himself, the omega feeling weightless as his other foot left the ground. He hooked the other one around as well, the alpha supporting most of his weight as the wall behind him carried the rest. 

A third finger went in alongside the others and Cloud grunted, burying his face into Zack’s neck and drinking the heavy scent. It was warm and thick and his eyes went half lidded as Zack’s fingers dragged a pleasant burn through his insides. 

Cloud let out a thin moan, the sound of it muffled by Zack’s shoulder as the alpha purred, the sound low and deep in his chest as his fingers slipped out of him. 

Cloud braced himself, feeling the warm, fat head of Zack’s cock press against his cunt. He relaxed, the motion practiced, a staggered moan leaving him as it eased inside. 

Zack panted against his own shoulder, he could feel the drool dribbling down the alpha’s chin, and the bite against the muscled part of his shoulder was entirely expected. “There you- _ah-_ go. Come on, alpha.” He said, feeling entirely too sticky and hot as Zack pressed inside him. 

He was huge and hot, warm and heavy, and Cloud spread his legs as much as he could manage in this position. The wall against his back was firm and solid and he sagged against it as Zack’s cock carved its way inside him. 

The alpha’s hands gripped his ass, careful, still scratching his skin despite his attempts at being gentle. A weak whine left the alpha, and Cloud moved one of his arms back up again to scratch at his scalp, dragging his fingers through the wild, tangled length in an attempt to offer him comfort. 

How he was so far gone into his rut, and still able to be gentle was a mystery to him, but he was relieved despite it. 

When Zack bottomed out inside him, their hips pressed flush against each other, their chests burning against each other, Cloud forgot to breathe for a second. The velvety push-pull of Zack pulling back and fucking back inside him had his toes curling, and Cloud gripped at his hair, his other hand holding onto the alpha’s shoulders like a lifeline. 

He could feel the slick dripping from his cunt, the sounds of it filling the space as Zack fucked into him. The alpha growled and Cloud twitched, cunt tightening around him at the sound of it. The sensation of his cock rubbing against their stomachs, caught in between them, had him groaning. “Yes, _yes,_ come on, alpha, you’re doing so good.” He praised him, voice wavery and thin and he surprised himself when he realized he _wasn’t lying._

Fuck. 

Zack sped up, his fingers tightening where they gripped at Cloud’s ass and he felt dizzy with it, oddly weightless as Zack used his body to chase his own high. 

The alpha moaned, low and deep, the scent between them growing headier as he bit into Cloud’s shoulder again. A punched-out groan left him as he felt his skin break, shivering in the alpha’s arms as he licked the wound, the warm lap of it making his head spin. 

It hurt, but in a way that had him writhing for more. 

Cloud moaned, the slapping sound of skin-on-skin picking up as Zack fucked him. He wrapped his legs harder around his middle, the hard muscle of the SOLDIER driving him crazy. Cloud could feel it as it rippled underneath his skin. 

The slick sounds of their movements was obscene, Cloud hardly remembering to do his job and circle his hips, encouraging Zack to go faster, go harder. 

Zack’s claws raked against his ass, scoring lines in their wake, and Cloud’s back arched at the sensation. 

When the base of his cock tugged at the edges of his cunt, he gasped, knowing what was going to happen. “G-Good boy,” he moaned, throwing his head back as Zack sped up further, like he was just a fuck doll for him to use. The feeling of his knot growing inside him was driving him crazy. Cloud swallowed, knowing he’d drooled on himself. “Knot me, come on, _knot me._ ” He begged, tightening his legs around Zack’s waist, hooking them around each other, burying both his hands into his wild hair and pulling, goading him on. 

He could _feel_ the rumble of Zack’s chest against his own, and he twitched, body jolting as Zack fucked him _just right-_

He came with a shout, cock twitching in between them as his cunt clenched around Zack’s cock, gushing enough that Cloud could hear it when it splattered against the ground. He was warm, heavy, head spinning, legs twitching as Zack thrusted once, twice more before spilling into him. 

A weak moan left him, the fiery rush of cum inside him almost secondary to the new, massive weight of Zack’s knot, his length pressing against his insides in a way that made him want to cry. 

He panted, hearing Zack’s frantic breaths from where the man was burying his face into Cloud’s neck. 

He closed his eyes, having to take a moment to refocus and gather himself. 

Zack was trembling as he held him, and Cloud could _feel_ the muscle straining underneath him. He had no idea how much time passed until Zack spoke, Cloud having to force himself out of the fuzzy state of mind he’d slipped into. 

“Cloud?” He said and Cloud grunted, face scrunching up as Zack lapped gently at the bite mark he’d left, as if trying to soothe an ache that was hardly there. “You’re okay, right?” Even sounding tired and worn out, Zack still had concern for him. 

He let out a soft laugh, twitching when the motion of it made Zack’s knot tug against his hole. “Yeah, ‘m fine. Do you feel better?” He rasped, leaning back far enough to look Zack in the eyes, scratching at his scalp and feeling oddly soft when the alpha leaned into his touch. 

The alpha hummed his confirmation, rubbing apologetic circles into Cloud’s ass. “I didn’t mean to break skin,” his voice was still apologetic, and Cloud let out a sigh, pressing a small kiss into his jaw, against the scar that had caught his eye the first time he saw him. 

“You’re alright,” he said, an uneven breath stuttering out of him when Zack adjusted his grip, jostling him where his knot held them together. “Sit down, I know you’re tired.” He prompted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes when Zack listened and sat them down right where they’d just been standing. 

Cloud could feel him tense up when he sat in the slick that had long since cooled, and it took all his self control to keep from laughing. 

Zack smelled lighter now, clearer, and he was relieved. 

The alpha kept rubbing at his damaged skin, kept lapping at the bite marks as if that was enough to heal them, and Cloud busied himself with carding his fingers through his long hair. 

They were quiet for a long while, until Zack’s knot had gone down enough for him to pull out of Cloud. A groan forced its way from his mouth as his cunt clenched around nothing, the excess slick and cum pooling out of him in a gush. The sound it made when it dribbled against the floor had the his cheeks pinking in embarrassment, Zack’s fingers squeezing his hips. 

He eyed the alpha, watching with amusement at how wide his eyes were. 

His cheeks were an appealing shade, and Cloud had to hold himself back from rubbing his thumbs over his cheekbones. “Do you want to clean it up now or later?” Cloud asked, unable to keep the amusement from his voice as Zack broke out into a bright grin, the smile completely transforming his face. 

“We should probably do it now, I feel a lot better.” Cloud smiled back, feeling lighter at the sight of the alpha’s infectious glee. 

His heartbeat stuttered in his chest, though, when Zack looked back down, lightly tracing his lower stomach with the pads of his fingers. “I didn’t know you had a tattoo.” He said, staring down at the deep red tattoo that covered the lower part of his stomach, underneath his bellybutton. 

Cloud swallowed, vaguely nauseated as he watched Zack trace at the design. 

He hated it. 

It was a gaudy heart, elaborate and winding with curling designs surrounding it, the line work delicate. 

He knew it was pretty, that it was appealing, but that didn’t change how he felt about it. 

Zack must have noticed his mood change, because he looked back at him, his grin shifting to a look of concern. “Uh,” Zack blinked, moving his hands away from Cloud’s stomach. “You don’t like it?” He had no idea what his expression looked like, but it had to have been obvious enough from the amount of concern in his voice. 

He forced out a laugh, moving to clamber off Zack’s lap, legs trembling. “Not really, it’s kinda ugly.” He grinned, relief filling him when Zack accepted his words with a wary nod. 

He walked on wobbly legs, feeling the liquid drip down his thighs as he reached to grab his clothes, blinking when Zack moved to grab them first. The alpha shot him a grin, apparently as willing to move past the awkward mood as he was. “I’ll clean and we can go to my room after. I’ll probably be ready to go again soon.” The last part was said with a small laugh, and Cloud smiled despite himself, his poor mood filtering away. 

“That sounds good,” he said, relieved that Zack seemed to be doing well. 

He’d been, well, he’d been worried. There was still the underlying wariness that he had towards Rufus for setting this entire situation up, and he’d wanted to be as careful as possible. 

Zack didn’t smell upset though, didn’t look upset even when he cleaned their mess up with the paper towels he’d grabbed from the kitchen, and when he pulled Cloud towards his bedroom, his movements turning a little frantic, he smelled almost excited. 

Cloud smiled, hating how fond he already felt towards him.


	2. Chapter 2

To put it lightly, Zack was insatiable. 

Cloud enjoyed it! He did, he definitely did, but he was tired. 

He blinked blearily, eyes tired, the bed underneath him soft and inviting and he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. A soft sigh left him when Zack nosed at his neck. “Cloud,” the alpha whined, the scent of rut still coating him, Cloud could hear the edge of worry that was in his voice. 

He hummed, moving his neck and letting him have easier access to the skin there, quietly amused when Zack bit at the edges of his collar. “Cloud,” he whined again, the arms around his waist squeezing him tighter, and Cloud let out a breath. 

“Yes?” He asked, struggling to keep himself from yawning. 

Zack let out a pleased noise, moving away from his side, shifting to fit himself in between his legs. 

Cloud didn’t have to look at a clock to know it was late. With how dark it was outside the windows, he was sure it was the middle of the night. “Can I-?” Zack asked, his voice trailing off as he traced gentle fingers down Cloud’s thighs, his body already growing warm despite how tired he was. 

It was the third day, there were probably only a few more that were going to happen, and he was already worn out. Roche hadn’t ever been this insatiable, and his other clients would never have been able to manage something like this. 

“Zack-“ he cut himself off with a yawn, able to smell the amusement from the SOLDIER at the sound of it. He shivered when the calloused hands rubbed at his inner folds, gentle but insistent. “I’m gonna fall asleep.” 

Zack laughed, leaning forward to press a sloppy kiss on his collarbone, the alpha growing warmer against him with each passing minute. “I’m not _that_ bad.” Cloud snorted, of course he thought it was about his performance and not the face that Cloud was close to passing out whether he liked it or not. 

He moved a hand up to cup at Zack’s cheek, eyes tired. “No, I’m actually going to fall asleep. You’ve been busy the past few days.” He couldn’t keep the amusement from his voice, swiping his thumb over Zack’s cheek when his expression fell. 

“Oh, uh-“ Zack paused, his lust forgotten for a moment and Cloud cooed, charmed despite everything. “Are you okay? I can, uh-“ 

Cloud cut him off before he could even think to offer to wait. “I’m fine, you can go ahead. Just don’t be surprised if I fall asleep on your knot.” 

The alpha blinked, tilting his head to the side, pausing as he thought it over. “Are you sure? I can probably wait a few hours.” And go back to the half feral alpha from before? Absolutely not. 

He rolled his eyes, shoving half his face into one of the plush pillows, spreading his legs wide and moving one hand down between his legs. Lazily, he pressed two fingers into his folds, the realization that Zack had moved his own away had not been lost on him. He spread himself open, whining high in his throat, watching the color blossom against Zack’s cheeks. “You don’t want me? Am I ugly when I sleep?” He moaned, playing coy, laughing when Zack snorted. 

“No,” Zack trailed off, teasing, moving his hand back to Cloud’s cunt, pressing two inside as Cloud held himself open for him. His cock twitched against his stomach and he closed his eyes, worn, letting himself be opened back up for the other man. “You’re really alright though?” 

He hummed, shifting his hips, a small gasp leaving him at the feeling of Zack’s fingers inside. “Yeah, just don’t do anything that you wouldn’t do if I was awake.” 

Zack laughed, a new edge of strain to it as his scent deepened, turning heavy. Cloud breathed in deep, burying his head into the pillow underneath him as Zack’s fingers worked. 

Everything was hazy and warm, Zack slowly adding more fingers, working him open with a gentleness that hadn’t been there before. 

When the head of his cock pressed against him, he relaxed bonelessly into the bed, moving his own fingers away from his cunt when Zack pushed inside. A groan left him as Zack slowly pressed his cock in, fully seating himself in a single slide. 

He closed his eyes, feeling warm and tired, soft sounds leaving him as Zack began moving. He could hear the alpha pant, felt it when a drop of sweat landed on his stomach. When a gentle kiss pressed against his collarbone, he let out a pleased rumble. 

The sensation of Zack fucking him was all he could focus on, the scents and sounds of it drew his attention and he couldn’t hope to think about anything else beyond the weight of Zack’s cock inside him. It was all he could do to just lay there and take it, Zack undemanding and kind, just needing to knot inside someone else to take the edge off of his rut. 

A nonsensical murmur left him, he had no idea what he even wanted to say, brain fuzzy as Zack moved to rub their cheeks together. 

Zack’s knot slowly filled out inside him, his body used to accepting it by now, and Cloud let himself fade. 

-

Cloud was the first to wake up. He sniffed, rubbing at his eyes as he slowly moved, mindful to be careful when he felt the weight of Zack’s cock inside him. 

It took a moment for him to remember what had happened, and he had to choke down the urge to laugh. He’d never fallen asleep on someone’s knot before. 

Zack was gone to the world, the occasional snore leaving him, his face open and relaxed. He moved away, careful not to jostle him awake, a small huff of air leaving him at the feeling of being entirely empty after so long. His stomach clenched, tightening around nothing, and it took a moment for him to gather himself. 

Okay, it was morning. 

Cloud’s stomach rumbled, demanding attention from him, and he grimaced. 

He slipped off the bed, grabbing one of the spare blankets and pulling it around himself as he carefully tracked Zack’s movements. He didn’t want to worry him if he woke up alone. 

Once he was satisfied that the other was going to remain asleep, he eased himself out of the bedroom, mindful to open the door as quietly as possible. He padded towards the kitchen, legs still a little wobbly, and began searching for something easy he could bring back into the bedroom. 

He settled on the fruit and granola he could find on the counter, not wanting to poke through pantries that weren’t his own. Water was next, a few bottle still remaining in Zack’s fridge, and Cloud was sure to grab an electrolyte drink as well. Honestly they were both going to need it. 

Satisfied with his find, he made his way back to the room, quietly closing the door behind him and setting the drinks on the bedside table before clambering back onto bed. Zack stirred as he settled into the sheets, huffing out a deep breath as he slowly woke up, and Cloud began picking at the apple he’d grabbed. 

He chewed as quietly as possible, watching, mildly amused, as Zack blearily blinked himself awake. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as Zack looked up at him, the alpha’s face shifting into a smile as they made eye contact. “Good morning,” Cloud said, watching as Zack pushed himself up into a sitting position. 

It took him a few moments to speak, not that Cloud blamed him for having to take a while. He could still smell the residual rut scent, and knew that they weren’t quite in the clear yet. 

“Mornin’,” Zack said, voice tired, and Cloud moved to grab the electrolyte drink as the man woke up further. 

“Drink this,” he said, handing Zack the bottle, relieved when he accepted it. He took another bite of the apple as Zack twisted open the lid, apparently thirstier than he’d expected, taking long gulps from the bottle before pulling it away with a gasp. 

He took it back when Zack handed it to him, the alpha already seeming far more alive than he’d been before. “Do you-“ Zack began and Cloud handed him the container of granola, already knowing what he was referring to. 

They didn’t have much time before he needed to get back to work, and with the speed Zack was shoveling granola into his mouth with, he knew it too. Cloud took a few more bites, speeding up, taking a sip of the drink before putting them both on the counter, accepting the empty container from Zack when he passed it back to him. 

“Cloud,” Zack sighed, a dopey grin on his face, and Cloud smiled, unable to stop himself from being fond of him. He hoped that they would be friends after this, there hadn’t been any clauses against it in the contract. “This should be my last day,” Zack said, sounding almost giddy with it, and he rolled his eyes, gently pushing Zack to lay back down. 

He could smell the confusion that radiated from the alpha. “Let me take care of this, I’ll wake you up.” He said, Zack snorting as Cloud climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. 

Warm hands lightly grabbed his hips, the strength not quite there yet as Zack was still working on fully waking up. “Kinda the opposite of what I did last night,” he joked and this time it was Cloud that snorted. 

“Just a little,” he said, reaching between his own legs, pressing a finger inside himself, using his other hand to brace against Zack’s chest. Honestly, Cloud was grateful that he was still pretty loose from Zack apparently being inside him the entire night. 

It only took a few pumps before he gathered enough slick on his fingers, the sounds of his fingers moving was loud and wet in between the two of them and he watched, amused, as Zack bit his lip and threw his head back onto the sheets. 

The hands gripping his hips tightened and he could smell the heavy arousal that came from the alpha. 

“Good boy,” he purred, leaning in close to kiss at Zack’s jawline. “So patient for me, you’re so good.” A thin whine left Zack, he could hear it stutter in his chest, the sound leaving him in a weak noise. Cloud grinned, taking his fingers from himself, wrapping them around Zack’s length, already hard. 

Zack bucked up underneath him, his hips stuttering as a gasp left him and Cloud cooed as he spread his slick over him, squeezing in the firm way he knew Zack liked as he jacked him off. 

He wasn’t going to be mean, not in the mood to tease, arousal pooling in the bottom of his stomach as well. Once he was sure that Zack was wet enough that he wouldn’t hurt himself, he lined the tip of his dick up with his hole, Zack’s whines sounding almost musical. “There we go,” he said, easing himself down the length, a sigh leaving him as it filled him up, so warm it was almost too much. 

Zack let out a punched out groan and Cloud watched as his dark eyes rolled back, his muscles going taut at the sensation of Cloud around him. 

A feeling of pride ran through him, knowing that he had that effect on alphas was always a confidence booster. 

He braced his legs on either side of his hips, leaning forward, pressing their chests together, this angle easier for him to work with. Cloud shifted his hips, thighs burning as he lifted himself up with a slick noise, watching the strain on Zack’s face as he brought his hips back down, the sensation of it drawing a moan from him. 

He hummed, bouncing his hips at a languid pace, going slow, watching the way Zack’s brows furrowed, the alpha panting openly. 

Cloud grinned, moving to press a kiss into his collarbone, reveling in the way his chest jumped. “Cloud, _come on,_ ” Zack whined and he took pity on him, speeding up just a bit, the sloppy sounds between them growing heavier as they kept going. 

He cock twitched from where it was trapped in between their bodies and he moaned deep in his chest, pressing a sloppier kiss against Zack’s jawline, circling his hips and making Zack bottom out inside him each time. “You’re so good, alpha,” he moaned, putting on a little bit of a show, knowing Zack liked it when he heard his breath hitch again. “So good for me- _ah-_ you’re so _good,_ ” he said, slamming their hips together and tightening around him, being rewarded with fresh nail marks against his thighs. 

He could feel Zack’s thigh muscles tightening underneath him, taut and hard, and he moved again, a fresh moan coming from the alpha. 

When he could feel the beginnings of the knot start to swell against the rim of his cunt, he grinned. Straightening back up, he sat higher, ready to show off for him. Zack looked up at him, dazed, and he was treated to the fucked out expression that crossed Zack’s face when he began riding with vengeance. 

_”Cloud-“_ Zack moaned, squeezing his hips, his grip tightening as he fucked up into him from the bottom, and it was Cloud’s turn to gasp. Zack _moved,_ taking charge with fervor, fucking up into him and Cloud circled his hips, trying to meet him on the impact. 

The knot tugged at his hole and he whined as Zack kept going. Fuck. He wrapped a hand around his own cock, jacking it off as Zack growled, cumming inside him with a deep noise. 

_”Ah-“_ Cloud moaned, a full-body shiver running through him, his toes curling as he felt the hot warmth of his cum begin to fill him. He tightened around him, heady groan leaving him as his cock twitched and came over Zack’s chest, another spurt dripping from his cunt, pooling in between the two of them. 

The sounds of their panting filled the room, and Cloud leaned back down, careful not to jostle the knot inside of him as he kissed at Zack’s neck, a lazy reward. 

“Feeling better?” He murmured into his neck once his voice returned to him, shivering when he felt Zack’s hands begin to trail up his waist and back, soft and indulgent. 

Zack hummed, low and deep in his chest, the sound if it was soothing and Cloud his his smile in his shoulder. “Mmm, yeah,” the alpha said, fingers tracing low circles on his skin. “Like I was trying to say-“ Cloud snorted “-my rut should be finished after today, I think.” 

That was a relief. Zack was already one of the clients that Cloud liked the most, and he’d only been with him for a single rut, but Cloud could only handle a few days of constant sex before he started to chafe. 

Cloud moved his hands up to lazily scratch at Zack’s scalp, pleased when the alpha let out a heavy purr. “I can smell it, your scent isn’t as strong as it’s been the past few days.” He admitted, and the way Zack leaned into his touch didn’t escape him. “Have you been okay, so far? Nothing too bad?” 

He’d done his best to make sure that the alpha was comfortable, had doted on him and brought him drinks and food, not wanting him to get rut sick, but there was a chance that he could have missed something. Especially considering that he’d been much higher maintenance than Roche had, despite them both being SOLDIERs. 

Zack laughed, airy and light. ”I’m fine, you’ve been good to me, Cloudy.” The first time he’d used the nickname, Cloud had been startled, but he was starting to grow fond of it now. 

He was just glad that Zack was okay. If there was one thing he didn’t want, it would be Zack regretting his rut afterwards. Or worse, having not wanted to do it in the first place.

They were quiet after that, their breaths synching up subconsciously, and when Zack’s knot finally went down enough for Cloud to slide off, he did. His cunt clenched around nothing, cum and slick dribbling out of it and onto the sheets, and he hid a grimace, moving to grab the food and drink they’d abandoned. 

Zack let out an appreciate noise, grabbing at one of the water bottles Cloud presented him with, and Cloud watched him with keen eyes, making sure that he was drinking enough. No alphas liked being dehydrated and near-starved after their ruts, Cloud had learned through his time working. It’d taken him a few bad reviews before he’d gotten the hang of it. 

Zack had, well, been an _excellent_ client so far. He’d been courteous, demanding but not uncomfortably so. And, to be blunt, he was just good at sex. 

He couldn’t help but cross his fingers and hope that the other firsts would be as accommodating. 

The two of them passed the rest of the day with lazy sex, cuddling in between. Completely separate from the rough and desperate fucking from the days prior. After each time, Zack would outright grab Cloud’s hands and lead them up towards his mane of hair and Cloud would take it from there, massaging at his scalp until he relaxed. 

It was different, really, from what Cloud had expected. 

Considering just how enthusiastic Zack was, and just how many knots he was able to pop during his rut, he didn’t even want to _imagine_ what might have happened if he was left alone during one of them. Honestly he was amazed that this apartment still had furniture inside it. 

Hell, maybe it had been replaced already. He wouldn’t have been surprised. 

-

When they woke up the next day in a tangle of limbs, the two of them having gravitated towards each other in their sleep, Cloud wasn’t surprised. 

He tested the air, pleased to note that the rut scent was stale, old from the night before. 

Well, time to get to work. 

He dragged Zack from the bed, the alpha whining the entire way to the bathroom, and forced him into the room with a snort. Post rut care was a part of the package he offered, after all, Cloud had to make sure he was getting the treatment he deserved. 

The bathroom was massive, with a gigantic tub that seemed almost inappropriate to have on Shinra premises, and Cloud led Zack to the toilet seat, sitting him down as he snorted, amused. Zack groaned, letting his head hang, probably bone tired after his rut. 

Cloud turned to the bathtub after he was sure he wasn’t going to keel over, Zack speaking as he twisted the knob, water pouring from the tap. 

“My dick hurts,” he whined and Cloud couldn’t help the laugh that burst from his mouth. He turned away from the tub, looking at him with a grin, Zack’s tired eyes still managing to have a glimmer of amusement in them. “I feel good but _fuck_.” He swore and Cloud rolled his eyes, lazily checking the heat of the water and adjusting it as he saw fit. 

“I bet. How long was it since you had a partner for your ruts? I don’t think I’ve ever been with anyone who was able to go for that long.” Cloud had already taken around five painkillers and he _knew_ his lower back was going to be cursing him once they wore off. 

Zack huffed, trying and failing to run his fingers through his tangled hair. “Not for the past year or so. It got too bad whenever I tried it with alphas, and I didn’t want to see what would happen with an-“ he tripped over his words, floundering for a moment before figuring it out. “-unprofessional omega or beta.” 

Yeah, that would explain it. 

Cloud tried not to gape at him, and failed. “No wonder, huh.” He mixed in the liquid bath soap with the water, pleased to see the way the bubbles rose. “Hopefully it should be better next time, the severity of your next rut should be reduced now that you’ve been with someone.” Fingers crossed that Cloud wasn’t lying out his ass. 

There was a pause, so long that Cloud had assumed that the conversation had just naturally trailed off. 

“I’ll still be with you next time, right?” Zack asked, startling him all over again. 

Cloud looked up, taking in the almost _self-conscious_ way that Zack was looking down at his hands. Huh. Cloud didn’t quite know what to make of that. 

“Zack,” he began, slowly. “Of course you’ll be with me next time. Unless you would prefer someone else, or you don’t like the arrangement. But until then I’ll still be with you during your ruts.” He could see some of the tension leave him at that, but didn’t like the way the alpha still looked entirely too drained. 

He stood up, knees groaning in complaint, and started towards him, resting a soft hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze when Zack looked up at him. He got a weak smile for his efforts, and Cloud didn’t like how insincere it looked. 

The complete drop of hormones was probably messing with him. 

“Come on, I’m getting in with you.” He said, relieved when the alpha perked up, following his lead to the tub. 

Cloud gestured for him to get in, eyeing the way Zack’s thighs almost trembled with the effort of stepping into the water. Jeez, he didn’t even want to think of how tired he must be. “There you go,” he said, voice soft as Zack sighed, sinking into the warm water. 

He seemed better, thankfully. 

Cloud stepped in after, moving to sit behind him. He eyed the dark tangle of hair in front of him and decided to save it for last. “Alright, alpha, let me take care of you,” he murmured, cupping some of the warm water in his hands, eyeing the way Zack hunched forward at his words, letting his head hang. 

Roche had been like this too, completely worn. No wonder Shinra was putting their feet down on this matter, if he was feeling this bad even _with_ an omega partner. 

He cleaned his back, fingers twitching against the rough scar tissue he found there, kneading and pulling at the flesh until he finally felt the knots of tension leave him. Zack sighed, relaxing as Cloud cleaned him. He pulled his hands higher, rubbing at his shoulders and arms, the alpha pliant underneath his touch. 

Cloud hadn’t noticed how much he reeked of sweat and sex until he’d cleaned him off. 

“Can you turn around for me?” He asked, voice gentle, a pleased hum escaping him when Zack complied. 

Zack was still staring at the newly murky water, and Cloud tsked, putting two fingers underneath his chin and lightly directing him to look up. He had the pleasure of watching the alpha’s dark eyes widen, his expression clearing up and looking marginally lighter then before. “What’s wrong, Zack? Are you okay?” He asked, watching as Zack’s brows furrowed, the alpha’s expression twisting to look conflicted for a moment before he spoke again. 

“Can we be friends after this? Or is that against the contract?” 

Cloud blinked, startled into silence. 

He mulled it over. Normally the answer would be a blunt _”no,”_ he wasn’t the type to mix friendship with his work. 

But, come on. Zack looked _pitiful._

And besides, he was contracted with Shinra, not Zack. There was a distinction there. Sorta. 

There was a part of him that was screaming at himself for being an utter fucking _dumbass_ and he ignored it, swiping his wet thumbs across Zack’s cheekbones, watching with amusement as the alpha’s eyes crinkled at the sensation. “Yeah, sure,” he sighed, a weary smile on his face as Zack _beamed._

“Aw! That’s cool, Cloud! I was gettin’ worried for a second!” 

Yeah, no shit, Cloud felt like he’d kicked a puppy. 

He snorted, moving to scrub at Zack’s chest, one of his pecs twitching against his palm, drawing an actual laugh from him. “Let me finish cleaning you up, please, you smell like a brothel.” Zack laughed out loud, his poor mood apparently gone. 

New hands around his waist made him startle, Zack pushing him into the water with a splash and he sputtered, a clump of bubbles flying up his nose and making him cough. “You smell too!” Zack laughed and Cloud’s face broke out into a grin, smacking his hands into the water and sending a handful of it towards Zack’s face, the alpha choking this time. 

This was _light years_ away from how his jobs normally went, and he had no idea what this meant for the other Firsts. 

Eventually though, after a good bit of the water was outside of the tub rather than inside, he’d managed to coax Zack into letting him clean his hair. 

Cloud squirted a generous amount of conditioner into his palm, Zack having turned back around again to give him an opening on his back. He ran his fingers through his hair, coaxing out the more difficult tangles and knots with a delicate touch, the conditioner helping his job tremendously. Once the worst of the tangles were out, he massaged shampoo into the roots of his hair, listening as Zack sighed, utterly content. 

They were quiet, the mood far more relaxed than it had been before, and Cloud was almost sad when he rinsed his hair out, watching the bubbles slip away. 

“Okay,” he murmured as Zack shifted just far enough to peek at him. “I think we’re done here.” 

He got a smile in return, Zack moving to stand, Cloud’s eyes darting back towards the water when the alpha was entirely uncaring about modesty. 

He knew they’d had sex for the past few days, and that they’d literally just taken a bath together, but he felt oddly shy. 

Zack helped him up, the two of them stepping out from the bath together. He reached for one of the towels, the soft texture of it comforting, and moved to dry the alpha off. 

A quiet snort drew his attention, and he looked up, Zack’s grin still there as he looked at him with amusement in his eyes. “You don’t think I’ll be able to dry myself off?” The question was teasing and Cloud resisted the urge to pout, looking down at where he’d started to dry his arm off. 

“Just let me take care of it,” he said, eyeing the tired smile Zack gave him in response. 

There was no doubt in his mind that Zack was going to strip the dirty sheets from his bed and take a twelve hour nap on the bare mattress after he left, and honestly, Cloud couldn’t blame him. 

Cloud was careful, gentle enough to not irritate his skin but still firm enough that he got everything. 

“Let me dry you off now,” Zack yawned as Cloud scrubbed at his scalp with the towel. He blinked, looking at the alpha to make sure he’d heard him right. 

“Dry me off?” He asked, Zack huffing out a laugh, shooting him a teasing look. 

“What? You’re allowed to dry me off but I can’t do the same to you?” 

He, well, he had a point but Cloud wasn’t really used to this sort of thing. He was starting to get the feeling that Zack really didn’t know how these sorts of things normally went. 

“Uh, sure, if you want to.” He said, Zack perking up, moving to grab a new, dry towel when Cloud let go of his hair. 

Zack let out a happy hum, and Cloud braced himself when he turned with the towel in hand. The alpha didn’t say much, just grinning like he’d been given some sort of present, as he moved to dry him off. 

Zack’s intense focus on the task made him flush, uncomfortable, not knowing how to react. He dealt with it, steeling himself against the sensation of the fabric, knowing his ears had probably pinked with color. When Zack ended with a quick “done!” It was hard to keep himself from openly sighing in relief. 

“Thank you,” he said, a snort leaving him when Zack lazily tossed the towels into his hamper.

He got a bright smile at that and, seriously, that look was always going to throw him off, huh? “No problem, Cloudy.” He said and Cloud sighed, fond. 

“I’m gonna get dressed and head out soon.” He said, Zack giving him an easy nod. 

“We should exchange numbers, then!” The alpha said, padding out of the bathroom, Cloud trailing after him. “It’ll probably be easier if we had a direct way to talk, yeah?” 

Well, there weren’t any clauses against it in the contract. 

“That’s fine by me,” he shrugged, moving towards where he’d dumped his backpack of essentials. He’d really only brought one extra outfit with him, there hadn’t been many clothes that they’d worn over the past few days. As he pulled on his own clothes, he spoke, hearing the sounds of shifting fabric as Zack did the same. “I try to be pretty good with answering on time, but sometimes I’ll be a little late.” He had other clients after all, and couldn’t think of a single one of them that would appreciate him texting another alpha during their ruts. 

Zack let out a pleased noise and Cloud pulled his shirt on, reaching for his phone that he’d lost somewhere in his pile of things. 

He handed it over to the alpha, who accepted it easily, moving to type his number into the contacts section. “Here you go!” Zack said, handing it back to him, and Cloud grinned, pocketing it. 

“I gotta head out now, but I’ll talk to you later.” He said, a sound leaving him when Zack suddenly gripped his wrist and pulled him into a tight hug. He blinked, bringing his arms up to reciprocate once his brain caught up with what had just happened. Zack’s grip on him was tight and firm and comforting. It was hard not to bury his head into his shoulder. 

His chest squeezed, an unidentifiable feeling running through him, and he felt oddly fragile. 

“Thanks again,” Zack rasped, his voice quieter, more serious. “You made it a lot easier than I thought it was gonna be.” And fuck, it was so sincere that Cloud almost teared up. 

He swallowed, giving Zack another squeeze before pulling away. “I’m glad,” he murmured, unable to bring himself to make eye contact. “I was worried, I didn’t want to do anything that would’ve bothered you.” 

Zack just smiled, ruffling his hair and gesturing towards the door. The mood had completely shifted in a near-instant and it had him reeling. “Talk to you soon, Cloudy!” And Cloud snorted, the earlier mood forgotten was he grabbed his backpack and waved a short goodbye. 

Stepping out of his apartment and into the standard Shinra hallway made everything feel oddly final and he sighed, ready to go home and collapse into his bed. 

He was going to have to sleep off the last few days before he would be able to function properly again. Clearly he wasn’t thinking straight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to call this one,,, the calm before the storm >:) 
> 
> And omgggg you guysss you all were so sweet last chapter!!! I hadn't expected that much feedback/responses when I posted this, and it totally caught me off guard (in a good way!!) 
> 
> I completely blame the somno on a few discord groups that continue to enable my nefarious deeds >:3 I'll be sure to tag it, other potential kinks will also be added in the future when they pop up so be sure to avoid the ones you're iffy with! (there shouldn't be anything /bad/ among the ACGSZ gang don't worryyyyy) 
> 
> Also, here's a link to a few general womb tat designs! It's sfw, so don't worry haha. Honestly if you need a visual just pick the one you like the best and imagine that it's on Cloud's lower stomach!  
> edit: nvm I don't know html so the link is broken as fuck I'm sorry LMFAO my baddd just google "womb tattoo design" and the 2d pink ones are pretty much it


	3. Chapter 3

Cloud was pretty sure that the birth control that Shira was requiring him to take was too strong for him. 

Oh well, it wasn’t too big of a deal. Worst comes to worst it messes with his hormones and future heats a little. And considering the fact that his heats were already finicky, there wasn’t much more that could happen to them. 

Rufus was diligent, checking back in with him and forcing Cloud to take the initial dose of post-rut birth control in front of him and yeah, that was fair, even if it was annoying to no end. 

After that though, he was essentially free to go. And thank fuck for that. He was sore all over, his body felt hormonal and a little too hot for his liking, and all he wanted to do was lay down in front of his T.V. and binge watch shitty shows for a few days until he passed out. 

So it was the standard post-rut feeling. At least it wasn’t significantly worse compared to the others. 

He rubbed at his eyes, a yawn escaping him as he pulled his blanket up further, steadily refusing to look at his phone that had been incessantly vibrating against his couch cushions for the past ten minutes. He’d already told a few of his old clients that he was dropping them and they were going to have to make other arrangements for their ruts, and more than a handful of them were taking it poorly. 

Which, honestly, was why he dropped those alphas in particular. If he could afford to avoid dealing with them then he would. 

Still though, it was annoying. 

When it vibrated again, loud and demanding, he huffed, grabbing the thing with a scowl. 

Chewing out irritating _former_ clients was a pain in the ass but he would do it if pressed. 

The most recent contact name had him pausing, though, his anger fading into curiosity as he read that the message was from Zack, of all people. 

He hadn’t been expecting a text this fast, in all honesty, and he had no idea what it could possibly say. His rut had ended a few days ago and Cloud hadn’t gotten any complaints yet. He’d figured that Zack had been satisfied with it. Maybe not, though. 

_”Hey Cloud! It’s Zack!! I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime soon, if you’re not busy with other stuff!”_

Huh.

He stared at the message, his brain trying to figure out what exactly he meant by that. Well, Zack had mentioned wanting to be friends after his rut. But Cloud had mostly chalked that up as an emotional response from all the brutal hormones that were swimming through the alpha’s head at the time. 

(And maybe some sentiment on his end too, he couldn’t help it, Zack had been overwhelmingly kind during the entire process. He hadn’t really expected it.)

Cloud hadn’t actually thought that Zack would want to be friends. Like, _actually._

He chewed at the inside of his cheek, mind racing as he read and re-read the message a few more times, trying to parse out whether it was a joke or not. 

It _seemed_ like it was earnest, matching everything Cloud had learned about Zack up until this point. 

He sighed, already knowing his answer. 

If Zack wanted to be actual friends, then Cloud wasn’t about to refuse him, not when Shinra was the one fronting the bill. Slight unprofessionalism aside, he’d liked Zack while they were together. 

_”Yeah, sure! I’d like that. Message me your free times and we can figure something out :)”_ He sent back, idly hoping that Zack wasn’t implying that they _hang out_ in a different sense. 

A sigh left him as he watched the message send. Laying his phone back onto the sheets, he sighed again, burying his face in the soft material, suddenly tired. 

Thank goodness he didn’t have to deal with the other alphas though, that was a relief, at least. 

-

Cloud, despite all his internal grumbling about the situation, found himself excited as he started towards where Zack had instructed him to go. 

It was a smaller eatery, a hole-in-the-wall place that was underneath the plate, meaning Zack had to come down to where Clouds place was, instead of the other way around. 

He knew the alpha didn’t exactly know where he lived, but it still felt significant, in a way. 

Also the fact that it was in public. Zack was _clever_ , not to mention considerate for having the foresight to plan out a public meeting. There was always an edge of concern whenever Cloud went to meet someone in private, it was a hard habit to break, one that had formed during his stint with Corneo, and Zack had managed to circumvent it in one action. 

He let out a soft breath, opening the front door of the restaurant and stepping in, the warm scents of the food instantly soothing any of his remaining nerves. The place was bright, comfortable, and he peered around the interior, Zack’s shout of “Cloud!” getting his attention in a near instant. 

He blinked, straightening as he turned and grinning when he saw Zack waving from where he’d been seated. 

“Feel free to go to your table,” a waitress said, her voice overwhelmingly amused and Cloud resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he trailed towards where Zack was. 

“Hey-“ he started, easing into one of the seats, smiling at the alpha as he got another easygoing grin for his troubles. “You look good, has everything been fine after your-?” He trailed off, the question was leading enough and he wanted to be at least a little polite in public. 

Zack just grinned, moving to grab at his glass of water, the condensation already cooling against it. “Yeah, totally. You definitely saved my ass back there, the higher-ups would’ve gotten pissed if I broke another couch.” That startled a laugh out of Cloud, the last vestiges of his poor mood slipping away as conversation came to them easily. 

“That’s good, that’s good!” He said, looking up as the waitress from before placed another glass of water on their table. 

“Are you ready to order or do you two need more time?” She asked, her smile kind and sweet and if Cloud sniffed at the air he knew he would be able to catch just a hint of her beta neutrality. 

He glanced over at Zack, the alpha shrugging with ease. “Maybe a few more minutes?” And Cloud nodded, agreeing easily enough. He eyed the thin, plasticky menus in front of them as the waitress gave one of her standard answers before heading off. 

“You ever been here before?” Zack asked, bright and excited, earning him another snort from Cloud. He hadn’t, actually, but he already liked it well enough. It _looked_ nice in here, the thin seating with the light, neutral tones made it feel open and bright. 

“Not yet, no.” He said, idly grinning as Zack seemed to bounce in his seat. “I’m guessing you like it here though?” 

“It’s good for lunch!” Zack said, cheery, drawing an easy grin from Cloud. “Just for sandwiches and stuff, I dunno, I haven’t really gotten anything here other than that.” 

That worked well enough for him, he’d just follow his lead. 

“That sounds good to me,” he said, feeling just a touch awkward over the entire situation. Zack made it easy enough, he wasn’t demanding and he was already managing to carry most of the conversation on his back. It was just Cloud’s old hang ups. 

Zack spoke up again after a moment, pulling him from his thoughts. “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you-“ that never boded well, “-Gen, one of the other Firsts, asked me to get your number for him.” Zack grinned at that, the look of it a little strained as he rubbed at the back of his neck, embarrassed. “I think he’s still worried about everything, even after I told him it went fine.” 

Oh. 

Yeah, well, that was fair. Cloud couldn’t really blame him for that. 

He let out a breath, relieved that it hadn’t been anything too serious. “Okay, of course, feel free to give him my number. I should be pretty free for the next few days if he needs to talk about anything.” And Zack’s grin turned more genuine at that, his own stresses melting away. “He’ll contact me first, right? I don’t know what his preference would be.” 

Zack huffed out a laugh, amused this time. “Yeah, he’s kind of a control freak. Don’t let him get to you if he’s touchy at first. Trust me, I’ve tried telling the other Firsts that you’re not like, the worst person ever, and they’re still super skeptical.” That startled a laugh out of Cloud. Well, considering Shinra had been the one to set them up, he couldn’t exactly blame them for being wary. 

“Thanks for trying to warm them up towards me.” He paused, elaborating after a moment, breaking the eye contact they’d been sharing in order to lazily skim over the menu, only half paying attention to it. “I know everything’s probably stressful for you all right now, I don’t want any one of you to be worried about how I’ll handle your situations.”

Ruts were _intimate,_ they were just as overwhelming as heats and required the same amount of care. Cloud knew he couldn’t just barrel through the sessions and hope for the best, he had to actually work for it, especially with these Alphas in particular. 

“Aw, Cloudy,” Zack said, lightening the mood with ease, straightening in his seat when the waitress trailed back over to their table. Cloud blinked, startled, and scanned the menu again as Zack gave her his order. 

He managed to stammer something out, the waitress looking more amused than not, and when she turned to leave he realized that he had no idea what he actually ordered. 

Oh well, hopefully it wouldn’t be too bad. 

“So,” Zack began, trailing off for a moment before continuing once Cloud looked up at him. “We haven’t actually talked all that much, I don’t think we know, like, anything about each other.” 

That tended to be how Cloud preferred his client relationships, but he knew that Zack would probably want more. Hell, he’d already agreed to being friends with him, it was only fair for Zack to know something beyond the fact that Cloud was a sex worker. Especially now that he knew that it wasn’t just hormones that made Zack want to be friends. 

Besides, he was a little curious about Zack too. 

He hummed, mind blanking on what to say to that. “I’ve got a few friends that run a bar together, I hang around there sometimes when I want to irritate them into giving me free drinks.” He grinned, Tifa’s unamused expression playing in the back of his mind. “It’s pretty nice there, I think you’d like it.” 

And Zack _beamed,_ “maybe you can show me around sometime! I’d definitely visit if I knew where the place was!” Cloud noted that for later. It would take a few more meetings for him to even _begin_ to feel comfortable letting Zack around Seventh Heaven, his general wariness refusing to allow him to let the alpha anywhere near Tifa and Aerith without being overwhelmingly certain of his temperament, but it was definitely something to remember. 

“Training and general Shinra work keeps me busy enough that I don’t get much free time.” Zack grinned as he said it, looking entirely unbothered with the situation. “Normally I just hang around with the other Firsts and a few different SOLDIERs. I’ll definitely tell you about any place that catches my eye though. I’ve been on the lookout for good places to go.” 

Cloud smiled, something about Zack just felt _comfortable._ “I’ll be sure to take you up on any invitations if you find anywhere good.” 

The conversation flowed easily after that as they chatted about mundane things and honestly, it didn’t feel at all like he was talking with a client, even when their food was served. 

He’d been a little worried over this feeling too close to some of the compensated dates he’d went on early on in his career, but it didn’t. It felt closer to when he was with Tifa and Aerith, or Barret and Cid. 

And he had no idea what that meant for them, but he was tentatively looking forward to how it was going to pan out from this point onwards. 

When the waitress brought over their separated receipts, Cloud reached for his own, pausing when Zack let out a short _tsk._ Cloud looked up, an amused huff of air leaving him as Zack grinned, looking proud where he was holding both receipts up, as if he’d won a prize. “No way Cloudy, I asked you to come out here so I’m covering the tab.” 

The old concern of him being expected to show some sort of _thanks_ afterwards threatened to pop up, and the shoved it to the back of his mind. 

He sighed, a grin toying at the corner of his lips. “I would argue but I feel like you’re not gonna take no for an answer.” He let out an exaggerated sigh, grinning again and watching as Zack’s smile shifted, turning sly as he reached for his pockets. 

“Good guess! I’m definitely not!” He said, and Cloud barked out a laugh, moving a hand up to hide his larger smile, embarrassed. Zack was just so direct. 

“Next time, then, I’ll take care of it.” He said, not realizing exactly what he’d implied until Zack’s face shifted, the alpha looking more at ease than he had before. 

Zack hummed as he pulled out enough money to cover the total, throwing in extra for the tip. “Sounds good to me, you’ll just have to make sure to grab the receipts quicker than me.” 

Cloud rolled his eyes, shooting the waitress a grateful smile as she came to collect the money. “That seems a little unfair, considering you’ve gotten mako enhancements and I definitely haven’t.” 

“That didn’t stop you before.” Zack said, earning a snort from Cloud, the omega more amused by the way Zack’s cheeks pinked at that more than the words themselves. Of course one of the first direct mentions of their time together would be a sex joke, he wasn’t even shocked. 

“You’re right, I’ll just have to be sneaky about it.” He teased, watching the way the tips of Zack’s ears turned pink, almost giddy at the way he seemed to almost grow flustered at the allusion to their time together. 

It was cute, almost. Cloud had long since gotten over his blushing stage so he was always pleasantly surprised when someone he worked with wasn’t. 

“We should head out, if we’re done, then.” Zack said, absently rubbing at the back of his neck, and Cloud had half a mind to check and see whether it was flushed or not. 

He didn’t, though, he had some semblance of self control left. 

He followed Zack’s lead when the other stood up, giving a short wave to the waitress as he left, the woman shooting him a polite half-smile as they started out the exit. 

There was a sense of finality between them as they stood outside, Zack breaking the new silence with a short cough. “So, yeah, I’ll give Genesis your number and he’ll message you more about the stuff he’s been wondering about.” Oh, yeah, Cloud had almost forgotten about that part. He gave a short nod, opening his arms on instinct when Zack leaned in, pulling him into a quick hug. 

He didn’t bring attention to the way the hug lingered, the way Zack had almost buried his head into the junction between Cloud’s neck and shoulders. He just wrapped his arms around the alpha’s broad shoulders, absentmindedly patting at head, soothing. 

He’d figured that Zack might not be dealing with the fallout of his rut too well. Cloud could tell that he had a big heart, could tell from the way he’d acted that he was a kind person. It wasn’t at all surprising that Zack may have needed a little extra interaction with the person he’d spent his _rut_ with. 

Zack broke the hug with a laugh that Cloud couldn’t get a read on, separating himself from Cloud in a near instant. “I’ll see you later, Cloud, make sure to watch out for yourself.” And then he left, or, well, tried to leave. An overwhelming urge to _soothe_ ran through Cloud and he reached forward, grabbing at one of Zack’s arms in his hand, fingers unable to wrap entirely around his bicep. 

He held firm, even when Zack gave him a _look_ , his eyes wide and searching as Cloud wracked his mind for something to say. 

“You too, Zack. Don’t be afraid to tell me if anything feels different.” He gave his bicep a bracing squeeze, feeling the muscle jolt underneath his fingers, tense. 

And, finally, Zack relaxed, exhaling and straightening again and actually looking like he felt better. Jeez, Cloud wasn’t much of a fan of how often Zack was trying to blow things off. “Aw, Cloudy! I’ll definitely tell you if something comes up.” And there was the dorky grin again, thank goodness, Cloud was getting worried there for a second. 

Cloud let go of his arm, a small smile on his own face. “Good, good. I’ll see you later then, okay?” Zack giving him another large grin before they parted ways. 

He couldn’t help the sigh that left him when he was sure that Zack was out of hearing range. 

He just wasn’t used to clients that were so _nice,_ that were undemanding and seemingly unaware of the way the post-rut emotional difficulties could effect them. 

Maybe he should revisit his rule of not interacting with clients outside of jobs. It might save him more stress in the long-run. 

-

Cloud had almost been close to discounting Genesis as a no-show. The alpha had been taking his time to contact him, and Cloud could only take being ghosted for a few days before he figured that the other party was entirely uninterested. He was willing to admit when he was wrong though, and the small text from an unknown number a few days after he’d hung out with Zack had been enough of a sign that he was wrong about Genesis. 

_”This is Cloud, right? It’s Genesis.”_

Interesting start. He had absolutely no way to decipher tone through the small text he’d been given. 

He had a sinking suspicion that Genesis wasn’t in the best of moods, though. 

The coffee maker burbled as it finished the pot he’d been waiting on and he sighed, shutting his phone off before moving to grab himself a mug. If he was going to have to text an irate alpha then he wanted to be awake enough to come up with reasonable responses. 

Once he managed to pour himself a coffee and wake up enough that keeping his eyes open didn’t take effort, he looked back at the small message, searching for any answers that he may have missed. 

No, no it was still completely devoid of anything for him to go off of, beyond Genesis’s name.

He saved him as a new contact, mulling over what to send before biting the bullet and typing a reply. 

_”Hey, Genesis. Yeah, this is Cloud. Zack mentioned that you needed to discuss a few things with me.”_

Neutral enough that there wasn’t any way for Genesis to construe it in a negative way. Hopefully. 

He took another sip of his coffee, savoring the way the bitter taste of it settled on his tongue. It wasn’t long before his phone vibrated with a reply, and he read it, careful to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. 

_”I do. It’s about the rules of what is going to happen during my rut. I wish to discuss this in person.”_

In person, huh? That was going to make things interesting. 

He mulled over his reply in his head before figuring out how to word it. It was fairly clear that he was going to have to be careful here, Genesis reminded him of the more finicky alphas he’d worked with in the past. Which, well, was fine, it just made it so that Cloud had to be more careful with what he said. 

_”That’s fine, let’s meet up in public, though. I don’t do meetings in private areas until I am very familiar with clients.”_

Ugh, the wording was shaky. 

This was, without a doubt, one of his least favorite parts about the job. 

He took another sip of his coffee, resisting the urge to down the entire thing in one go, almost wincing when his phone vibrated. He tentatively peered at Genesis’s reply, grimacing. 

_”I don’t understand why you would be unable to meet in private.”_

Ouch. Blunt. Genesis was definitely going to be picky, huh. 

_”It’s nothing against you as a person. It’s just a personal rule that I have. We can always meet up in public locations that are discrete if you’re worried about being overheard.”_

He could understand the apprehension at least, didn’t the Firsts have fan clubs? Cloud wouldn’t exactly put it past one of the more rabid fans to not exactly handle what they were hearing with respect. 

Lazily sipping at his coffee, he scanned Genesis’s reply when it came through, almost able to sense the irritation in the text. 

_”Fine. I know a place. You’re free to show up today, right?”_

Genesis was _lucky_ that Cloud wanted to be on Shinra’s good side. If any of his other clients spoke to him in that way he would be sure to answer back with even worse snark. He let out an irritated breath, typing back a short reply in the affirmative, sending it as he ran a hand through his hair, bothered by how _bothered_ this all made him. 

When Genesis replied with the address and a time, it was all Cloud could do to keep from answering with a short “never mind, fuck you.” Instead he had to settle for angrily sending back a thumbs-up emoji and swallowing down the last of his coffee, feeling the way it burned a line down his chest. 

Fucking SOLDIERs.

-

He hadn’t really known what to expect from the address that Genesis had given him, but the small coffee shop was not what he had anticipated. Cloud almost felt out of place as he opened the door, the little tinny noise of the bell ringing sounding more like a death toll. 

“Cloud,” Genesis said, interrupting him before he even got the chance to peer around. 

It took all his effort to keep from startling. 

He shifted to look at the alpha, relieved when he saw that Genesis, at the very least, was able to keep from looking visually upset. Scent though, scent was different. Cloud could smell the way his annoyance seemed almost bone-deep at this point, and it was hard to keep from feeling offended. 

Whatever. This was his job. He could handle a little annoyance thrown his way. 

“Genesis,” he said, giving the man a short nod, eyeing the new lines of tension in his shoulders. “Do you have a spot you want to sit at?” It was better for him to acquiesce control and just give it to Genesis, he had a feeling that the alpha wouldn’t appreciate it if he tried to take charge. 

“Yes, right over this way.” His voice was tight, clipped, and Cloud felt a little helpless as he trailed after him, the hardwood flooring just barely creaking underneath his feet. 

Genesis had led them to a dark, almost mahogany, chair and table set, and Cloud settled down in one of the seats, already feeling awkward as Genesis loomed over him for a moment before also seating himself. Cloud gave him a moment to settle before he spoke, making his voice a bit softer than it normally was, wanting to ease the information out of him. “You mentioned wanting to talk about your rules you had for your rut?” He figured Genesis wouldn’t approve of him beating around the bush and trying for casual conversation, completely unlike Zack. 

He was right. 

The alpha frowned, propping his elbows up on the table, locking his fingers together as he looked Cloud in the eyes, his gaze intense and unrelenting. “There’s going to be no biting, no hair pulling, and no kissing unless I prompt it.” All reasonable, Cloud had no reasons to complain. 

There were just a few things he needed to clarify. 

“Beyond the kissing, do you mean the other two in a general sense or just for me?” He had to make sure, he didn’t mind either way but it was important for him to keep track of that sort of thing. 

Genesis’s frown shifted to a scowl, his expression darkening, and Cloud could smell his frustration. “In general, unless I change my mind partway through.” That, that was going to be a little difficult.

He nodded, a little wary. “Alright. Would you be okay with me warning you off the first time if you attempt it, and then allowing it if you try again? I just need to know what you’re looking for me to do.” Genesis’s gaze was still intense, an unreadable look passing over them for a moment before an irritated huff left the man as he tore his gaze away, moving to cross his arms over his chest instead. 

“I suppose that will be fine. You’re not permitted to do them to me, however.” Entirely reasonable. 

“Of course, everything is going to be based on what you require.” He knew he sounded a little stiff but really, he didn’t think he deserved the venomous glare that Genesis shot towards him. 

An uneasy silence lingered between the two of them for a moment before Genesis huffed. “I can ask you to do specific things during the rut too, right?” Okay, hopefully he was going to give Cloud something to work with, because right now he was floundering a little. 

“Yeah, was there anything in particular you had in mind?” He asked, careful, eyeing the way Genesis’s eyes narrowed. 

“If I asked you to wear a blindfold, would you do it?” 

He blinked, briefly startled. “Of course, anything-“ 

Genesis cut him off and Cloud could tell the man was growing irritated. “If I asked you to be gagged, would you do it?” 

Cloud narrowed his eyes, not entirely sure how this conversation was going to pan out. “Yes, is that-“ Genesis cut him off again and it was a fight to keep from bristling. 

“What if I asked you to be restrained? Would you allow it?” 

He exhaled, feeling oddly hollow. “I only do partial restraints, I need at least two limbs free, and one has to be an arm.” 

They both paused, and for the life of him, Cloud couldn’t read Genesis’s expression. 

When the alpha spoke again, his voice was lower, as if he was making an effort to keep them from being overheard. “And if I required you to be in full restraints?” 

“Absolutely not.” Cloud said, the immediate refusal was easy enough to say. He wasn’t about to argue over this boundary. He’d heard too many horror stories from other sex workers to want to risk it. “We would have to figure something else out, I don’t do full restraints.” 

Genesis’s gaze was intense, and Cloud was almost certain that he was wearing eyeliner. There was no way his eyes could be that dark if he wasn’t wearing makeup. “You said before that there wouldn’t be anything that we could possibly request that would be too much for you. Why wouldn’t you be able to do the full restraints?” 

Cloud narrowed his own eyes, not liking how this was panning out. “First off, I don’t even know what sort of restraints you would want me to use. Second, it’s more of a safety thing, like how I wear a collar during ruts. I’m not going to let you put me in full restraints for the entirety of your rut.” He’d rather spit in the President’s eye than do that. 

Genesis sniffed, leaning back into his seat with a huff as he leveled Cloud with a look that made him feel oddly small. “Are you implying that you don’t trust me?” 

Oh, Cloud didn’t like this man. 

“It’s not a matter of trust, it’s a matter of safety. If you want to do partial restraints along with the other things you mentioned, I’m fine with that. I don’t do full restraints and I’m not going to make an allowance for you.” Cloud couldn’t put it any plainer than that. If Genesis was truly going to fight him over this then Cloud was going to outright refuse to see him. He’d revisit the contract if he needed to. 

“I don’t understand what you mean by safety.” Genesis said, rolling his eyes in a flippant way that made Cloud want to wring his neck. “Please, elaborate.” 

“I’m not saying that it’s something that you would do, personally-“ Cloud began, trying to figure out how to word it correctly to avoid offending the already touchy alpha. “-but it’s known among omegas for hire that there’s always the chance that full restraints can result in sexual assault.” 

Genesis’s eyes widened, and Cloud could see that he’d affected him in some way, so he kept going. Apparently blunt honesty was going to work best with him. “I know two other omegas who have had bad experiences involving full restraints. One was hired by an alpha who wasn’t in rut, and the alpha invited their other friends over after they were already in the restraints.” He would’ve elaborated further, but considering the way Genesis’s expression had darkened, he figured that his point had been made. “I know that you wouldn’t do it, considering this arrangement that we have between us, but it’s just an overall policy that’s necessary.” He ended with a sigh, keeping careful track of the way Genesis’s shoulders slumped, just enough for Cloud to notice. 

There was silence between them, for a long while. Neither of them really knowing where to go from where Cloud had left off. 

He would’ve felt worse about it if it didn’t look like Genesis was actually taking what he’d said into consideration. 

Genesis sighed, abrupt, the sound of it pained. Cloud watched, tracking the way he massaged at his temples. “I take pride in being able to control myself. Feeling like a wild animal during my ruts is,” he trailed off, and Cloud lightly scented the air, the faintest traces of distress tasting bitter on his tongue. “Disgusting.” Genesis ended with another sigh, his voice heavy. 

Cloud chewed at the inside of his cheek, wording and rewording his response over in his head until he was sure that it wouldn’t upset him. “I don’t know how it feels to go into rut, but I do know that it isn’t an easy thing to deal with. I want to be able to help you as best as I can, but I need you to be honest with what you need. If you need me in restraints, we can figure something out, but I don’t want to get into arguments about things we don’t need to argue about.” 

“I shouldn’t need help in the first place.” Genesis snapped, his voice sharp, before wilting again and Cloud could _taste_ the shame that seemed to roll off of him. 

Cloud sighed, his eyebrows furrowing as he fought the urge to reach across the table to try and soothe the alpha. “It’s more common than you think, needing an omega to get you through a rut. It’s an entire industry for a reason, you’re not the only one who might need some unconventional help.” 

Genesis’s scowl had gone away by the tiniest margin, and Cloud was willing to celebrate it as a success. “I shouldn’t be compared to your normal clientele. I should be able to control myself better, Goddess’s sake, I’m a First Class SOLDIER.” 

“Well,” Cloud began, unable to resist the urge to smile. “You’re not the only First Class that needs help. The Mako is messing with you guys all more than the other alphas I’ve seen. It’s not your fault that you’ve taken chemical enhancements that throw your hormones out of alignment.” 

The look Genesis gave him was entirely unamused, but some more tension had faded from him. Finally, Cloud had been worried there for a second. 

Genesis sighed, again, rubbing at his temples as if trying to soothe away a headache. “I don’t need restraints, gags, or blindfolds.” Cloud blinked, confused as Genesis continued on, sounding as if he was admitting some great sin. “I don’t know why I asked you about them. I’ve been-“ his eyebrows furrowed, and Cloud eyed the dark circles underneath his eyes. “-uneasy, the past few days.” 

He was probably going into rut soon, then. Fuck, Cloud should’ve guessed that that was the case. But Genesis was just so _difficult_ to read. 

“Okay, that’s fine,” he said, letting his instinct take over, wanting to soothe away Genesis’s worries before they grew worse. “Do you still need the first requests you mentioned? The ones about biting, kissing, and hair pulling?” He had to be sure, even if Genesis had been prickly for no real reason, Cloud had to be sure that he knew what he wanted. 

“Yes, take those requests seriously, please.” Genesis sighed, running a hand through his hair, avoiding Cloud’s gaze. “I don’t have any other requests beyond those, however, so we may be done here. Unless you are uncertain about what is going to happen.” 

It wasn’t that he was _uncertain,_ if anything he wasn’t as confident as he normally was. Genesis was throwing a wrench in his careful planning. 

He wasn’t about to say that, though. 

“I’m fine.” He paused, starting up again after a moment, resisting the urge to pick at his fingernails. “Please message me if you think of anything else that you might need. I don’t like starting jobs when I don’t have all the information.” 

Genesis gave him another nod, looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else. “I suppose that means we’re done here. I’ll be sure to contact you if there are any more issues.” Yeah, Cloud had called it. 

“See you later, Genesis,” he said, watching as the alpha moved to stand, eyeing the tight lines of his shoulders. He didn’t get much in return, the alpha just letting out a noise of affirmation. 

Cloud eyed him as he left, making sure that he at least _looked_ like he was okay. Once Genesis left, exiting out the coffee shop as the doorbell rang its tinny little noise, he heaved a sigh. 

He was just so confusing, Cloud couldn’t _stand_ it. 

Well, at least he was already in a coffee shop. He’d finished his coffee from before but he had a feeling it would be better to just buy another one. It was already gearing up to be one of those days. 

-

To be blunt, Cloud had expected a message from Shinra before the day was over. Genesis hadn’t been putting off the best signs, and Cloud wouldn’t have been surprised if their meeting had spurred his rut on. 

But he didn’t. 

He didn’t get one the day after either. 

It was on the second day after their meeting, just when Cloud had begrudgingly accepted that maybe his senses weren’t the best any more, that he got the message. 

_First Class SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos has started his rut. Your assistance is required within the hour._

And he geared himself up for an eventful few days, mentally preparing himself for what he might have to deal with. 

At least he had a few rules to work with. No biting, no hair pulling, and no kissing. Easy enough, Cloud could handle that much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg this chapter was sfw waaaa, I was looking forward to writing his rut >:/
> 
> I didn't really like how I did most of the stuff in this chapter so hopefully y'all were able to read it without much trouble? It felt really boring but sometimes it rlly do just be that way
> 
> Anyways! Genesis is up next, I'm rlly excited for that, three cheers for my boyfriend


	4. Chapter 4

He felt a strange sense of deja vu when he stood in front of Genesis’s apartment door. 

Cloud let out a breath, bracing himself for what was to come. He could handle this, just because Genesis had been finicky and prickly up until now didn’t mean anything. Some of his most accommodating clients initially had ended up being the worst during their ruts, there really was no way to definitively tell how the rut would go from how they behaved outside of it. 

He knocked on the door, the rap of his knuckles sounding almost sharp against the metal, and he waited. 

It took a few minutes of waiting and him knocking three more times for him to realize that yeah, Genesis wasn’t going to answer the door for him. 

He sighed, letting his head hang for a moment as he mourned the loss of his more enthusiastic clients, before grabbing his security card. 

Thankfully, _blessedly,_ the door beeped open when he scanned his card over the small detection screen. Tucking it back into his pants, relieved, he grabbed the door handle, easing it open with a quiet squeal as he scanned the front room. 

Entirely empty. Interesting. 

He ignored the decor, Genesis apparently had a flair for the dramatic and enjoyed red-tones. Gently shutting and locking the door behind him, he started inside, feeling out of place in the silent apartment. 

“Genesis?” He called out after a moment, grimacing at the way his voice wavered. 

No answer. Shit. 

He resisted the urge to double check the follow up text he’d gotten. The apartment number was correct, he knew that much, and he knew that Shinra wouldn’t mess with him by sending him to Genesis’s apartment if the alpha was somewhere else. 

So, despite wanting to turn tail and leave and try to forget that this situation had ever happened, he sighed, and started deeper into the apartment. 

He could smell hints of him, knew he had to be in here somewhere. 

The hallway was dark, and as he walked through it, he continued to tentatively sniff at the air, relieved when the scent was growing stronger as he went deeper. 

He paused by one of the doors, the scent here was heavy and thick even with the door blocking most of it, and he braced himself. “Genesis?” He asked, listening close and feeling an almost overwhelming amount of relief when he could hear the sounds of movement inside. “It’s Cloud, can I come in?” 

It took a moment, and just when Cloud was certain that he was being ignored, Genesis answered, his voice muffled by the door. “Yes.” The short reply didn’t do much to instill confidence in him. 

Well, he had a job to do. 

Carefully, he eased the door open, pausing and taking in the way Genesis was on his bed, burying his face in one of his pillows. The sheets he held gripped in his hands looked as if they were close to tearing. 

He still had clothes on, astonishingly enough. 

“Genesis, hey,” Cloud breathed, edging closer to the bed, tensing when Genesis shifted enough to look at him out of the corner of his eye. When he inhaled, he could almost taste cinnamon in the back of his throat, and it was a fight to keep from coughing. “I’m here, where do you want me?” He asked, gentle and calm, watching with sharp eyes as Genesis moved to sit upright, tracking his movements when he began pulling off his shirt. 

“Here,” Genesis rasped, a thin tremble in his hands as he balled his shirt up, throwing it off the bed without much care. “On the bed.” His earlier misgivings had apparently been lost in the rut. 

Cloud started towards him, thumbing at the folds of his own clothes as he paused briefly to toe off his shoes. “How do you want me? Clothes off or on?” He was falling back into his old routine of having little care for seduction and more emphasis on boundaries, but it felt necessary, here. 

“Off,” Genesis said, moving to unbuckle his pants with hands that were still shaking. “Leave them on the bed.” The command would have been stranger if Cloud wasn’t used to alphas sometimes having to ball his clothes up and use it almost like a sort of smelling salt during the worst of their ruts. 

“Alright, yeah,” he said, pulling his shirt off in a quick motion before slipping his pants off, just relieved that he’d chosen something other than jeans to wear. 

Genesis’s eyes were almost fever-bright as Cloud clambered onto bed with him, the red duvet sinking under his weight as he steadied himself, silently handing his clothes over to the alpha. 

The effect of the glare Genesis tried to send his way was lessened by the way he accepted the fabric and buried his face in them, huffing out a heavy breath before breathing in as if he was a drowning man. Cloud let out a soft laugh, amused, but relieved when he could see the lines of tension begin to fade from his shoulders. 

Genesis was still huffing the scent from his shirt when he took a hand away, moving to grab at Cloud’s thigh, his palm hot and heavy, before going higher and grabbing at his waist, pulling him closer. “Cloud,” Genesis grumbled, finally setting his clothes down before moving closer, strong and warm, and Cloud relaxed, letting himself be maneuvered however he saw fit. 

He leaned back, a small breath escaping him when his back hit the plush pillows Genesis kept. The alpha’s hands moved up to his chest, gripping the sides just hard enough that Cloud could feel the strength in them. Genesis moved, rocking forwards as he straddled one of Cloud’s thighs, pressing his face up into Cloud’s neck, his breath stuttering where he was soaking in his scent. 

They were quiet, save for the sounds of Genesis’s deep breathing, and Cloud reached his arms up around his back, rubbing soft circles on his skin in an attempt to soothe him. 

It wasn’t until he felt the hot press of Genesis’s cock against his thigh that he truly remembered what they were here for. 

He sighed, feeling the way Genesis began to slowly rut against his thigh, the stickiness of his precum catching on Cloud’s skin, the man himself seeming as if he didn’t even notice. “Genesis,” he breathed, light, the hot puff of air against his neck making him tighten down on the plug inside him. “Am I allowed to touch you?” 

He knew the alpha was nearing the edge of his self control, but he had to ask. Especially with how finicky he was earlier, Cloud wanted to be as careful as possible. 

Genesis groaned against his skin, his grip tightening against Cloud’s chest as he rutted his hips up higher and Cloud could feel the way his cock dragged against his leg. He was hot, the fever of his rut already hitting him hard, and Cloud let out a heavy breath when Genesis moved up to mouth at his earlobe. 

“Yes,” the word was hardly a whisper and Cloud shivered, sensitive from how _close_ Genesis was. 

He let out a short hum, moving his hand in between them, wrapping a hand around Genesis’s cock, his other one still tracing soft patterns on his back. 

The alpha arched against him the instant he touched him, the gasp in his ear had Cloud’s cunt clenching hard around his toy and he bit his lip to keep from making an embarrassing sound. “There we go,” he settled on cooing, lightly pulling his hand up Genesis’s length, pausing to dab some of his precum onto his palm in order to make the slide even easier. 

Genesis let out a sound, deep in the back of his throat as he buried his face into Cloud’s shoulder, a shudder running through him as he drew his tongue over Cloud’s skin. 

“There we go, alpha,” Cloud repeated, testing the name out, pleased when Genesis shuddered again, his grip on him tightening. “You’re so good for me, so pretty.” 

Genesis moaned, flattening his tongue over Cloud’s tendon and he tightened his grip around his cock, speeding up as he jerked him off. Okay, compliments were going to work here. “You smell so nice, alpha. You sound so beautiful for me.” He said, lowering his voice, turning his head just enough that his face was close to being buried in Genesis’s hair. He could feel Genesis’s hips stutter at his words, and he kept going, twisting his wrist in the practiced motion that he’d long since perfected. “There we go, gorgeous, you’re gonna make such nice sounds for me, huh?” 

A strangled noise left the alpha, the vibrations of it tickling Cloud’s skin. Genesis shifted just enough to move his face out of Cloud’s skin, looking at him with eyes that had gone glazed, the rut fever having hit _hard._ “Cloud,” Genesis rasped, his breath hot against Cloud’s skin. “I-I need to fuck you.” 

Fuck, desperation was a good look on Genesis. 

Cloud hummed, moving his hand away from Genesis’s cock, towards where he’d plugged himself earlier. “You want me, alpha?” He teased, toying with the end of the plug, watching as Genesis’s eyes shifted to watch his every move. “You wanna fuck me? Come inside me?” He purred, relieved when Genesis’s pupils dilated. Alright, complements and cumming inside, that was what was going to work for Genesis. Jeez, he was making him work for it. 

He gripped the end of the plug, easing it out with a sigh, slick already making him wet. It left him with a quiet pop and he could _feel_ Genesis’s inhalation at the sight of the toy. “I already opened myself, Genesis, I’m ready for you.” Normally he’d be a stickler for prep, but he’d been thorough and used a larger plug than normal, not knowing just how bad Genesis would be. Luckily though, he wasn’t as big as Zack, so Cloud didn’t have to be concerned. 

It wasn’t as if he was small by any means, but the difference was significant enough that he wasn’t too concerned. 

Genesis had stilled, and when Cloud’s eyes shifted towards him, he could see his nose twitch as he scented the air. A soft huff left him, amused, as he tossed the toy to the side, moving to ease two of his fingers into himself as the alpha watched. Genesis’s cock twitched against his thigh and Cloud let out an easy sigh, pushing his fingers in further with a slick noise. 

He was hard against his stomach, but he was going to have to ignore his cock for now, he was busy with work. 

“Do I smell nice, alpha?” He asked, shifting his hips to get a better angle, easing a third finger into himself when he heard Genesis’s breath hitch, the alpha watching his every move. He was warm, wet, and when he angled his wrist just _right_ arousal began to thrum through his veins. He let out a whine, purposeful, his fingers leaving a pleasant burn inside of him. “Do you like it, Genesis? It’s all for you, you can fuck me if you want.” 

Genesis moved, sliding away from where he’d been straddling Cloud’s thigh, positioning himself in between his legs with a speed that Cloud hadn’t expected. Strong hands pushed his thighs apart and he let them, moving his fingers out of himself to give Genesis the space to work. 

He was just relieved that there was little tension between the two of them. 

“Fuck,” Genesis groaned and Cloud watched as he moved to grip his cock in his hands, pressing it toward Cloud’s opening. The head of it was hot and thick and Cloud bit his lip, an easy sigh leaving him when Genesis pressed inside. 

He threw his head back, letting it hit the pillow behind him with a soft noise as he spread his thighs further, Genesis’s cock burning its way deeper inside him, warm and _nice_ as Cloud’s walls molded themselves around it. He let out a groan, Genesis’s fingers tightening where they were gripping onto Cloud’s hips, and he hardly noticed it when the alpha bottomed out, too warm with the sensation to truly notice it. 

Genesis shuddered above him, his fingers clenching and unclenching against him, and Cloud shifted his hips a bit, earning a small gasp from the alpha. “Good boy, you’re so good for me,” he groaned, deep in his throat, gripping at the sheets when Genesis pulled back, thrusting back into him with a steady push. 

The alpha grunted, the sounds between them growing slick as Cloud’s cunt tightened, slick dribbling out of him, barely managing to get past Genesis’s cock. “Cloud,” Genesis groaned, sounding breathless, and Cloud moved a hand, up to his face, tilting his chin towards him in order to draw his attention. 

His light irises were almost entirely consumed by his pupils, the flush on his cheeks were a dark, dusky pink. “There we g- _oh-_ ” he said, toes curling when Genesis thrust into him again, maintaining a frantic sort of eye contact. 

It didn’t take long, after that. Cloud had no idea if it was the rut, or what, but Genesis was out of it. 

A few more heavy thrusts, hard enough that Cloud could’ve sworn that he felt it in his throat, and Genesis’s knot was tugging at his hole. 

He groaned, letting his hand drop from Genesis’s face, burying his head into the sheets and wrapping his legs around the alpha’s waist as Genesis pulled them flush against each other. 

The pressure against his walls was dizzying and he moaned, squirming and shifting his hips against where Genesis was grinding his knot into him. It was warm, and hot and _nice,_ Cloud had absolutely no complaints over Genesis’s knot. 

He hadn’t come yet, but the feeling of Genesis’s cock twitching inside him had him close. 

He panted into the sheets, feeling dazed at the weight of the knot inside, still as Genesis caught his breath. After a few long moments, the hands gripping his hips relaxed, moving up instead to the sides of his chest, over his ribs. “Are you alright?” The alpha rasped, and Cloud shifted, glancing at him, relieved when he saw the new clarity in his eyes. 

“Yeah,” he said, a breath leaving him when Genesis moved, pressing their chests closer together, the weight of him was comforting as he boxed Cloud in. “Was everything okay? Are you doing good?” He asked, cunt tightening around Genesis’s knot as his body burned, reluctantly coming down from his high despite not having cummed. 

Genesis hummed at that, moving to bury his face in Cloud’s neck, less feverish than before. “I’m alright, thank you for indulging me.” Cloud huffed out a laugh, the movement jostling the knot that tied them together, and they both groaned at the same time. 

He shivered as one of Genesis’s hands trailed downwards, back to his hips and in between them. Cloud had no idea what he was doing until Genesis’s hand wrapped around his own length, the alpha letting out a noise as Cloud’s back arched. “I didn’t make you cum, how selfish of me.” Genesis murmured, mouthing at his collarbones, his teeth scraping against his sensitive skin as he slowly, torturously, began jerking him off. 

“That’s, that’s fine,” Cloud groaned, Genesis’s hand speeding up, his cunt clenching around the knot inside him as his body chased the sensations. “You don’t-“ he cut himself off with a gasp as Genesis rolled his hips, as if trying to force himself deeper despite already bottoming out. 

Cloud came as Genesis pressed the flat of his tongue in the dip of his collarbones, as if tracing the indent. He arched his back, a strained groan leaving him, his eyelids fluttering shut as the heat in his stomach burst. 

His cock twitched as it spilled in Genesis’s hand, the alpha letting out a strained laugh as Cloud tightened around him, massaging his knot from the inside. 

“There,” the alpha murmured, sounding satisfied despite his voice wavering. “We’re even.” 

_Of course he’d think it was transactional,_ Cloud thought to himself, dazed, forcing himself back to reality as Genesis let his dick go, moving to lay back down on Cloud. 

But not before pausing and trailing the wet pads of his fingers over Cloud’s tattoo, voice turning amused. “Cute,” was all he said and Cloud closed his eyes, spreading his legs further to allow the alpha to situate himself as comfortably as possible. 

“Thanks,” he murmured, not wanting to get into the dramatics surrounding the tattoo when he was _working._

Genesis was content to lay with him, gathering his strength again after the exertion of knotting, and Cloud risked speaking after a moment. “Is there anything you want to tell me before continuing again? I don’t want to put you into any awkward positions.” He asked, voice soft, as Genesis preoccupied himself with inhaling Cloud’s scent. 

It was funny, kinda, how neutered he seemed compared to before. Maybe the rut had managed to soothe his emotions instead of making them go haywire. 

“You’re fine, Cloud,” Genesis murmured, his lips feeling almost chapped against him. “Already far more indulgent than I had assumed you would be.” He was getting that floaty sound to his voice, the way other alphas did whenever they felt spaced out, and even though his knot was just barely softening inside him, Cloud knew that Genesis would need to go again very soon. 

“Alright,” he hummed, gently tracing Genesis’s back as the alpha softened, in more ways than one. “Knot me as many times as you need, alpha.” He said, Genesis shuddering against him with a soft moan. 

They were quiet, for a while, until Genesis’s knot had gone down enough for him to pull out. Cloud let out a breath, feeling the way the cum dribbled out of his hole, and resisted the urge to shiver. 

He blinked, looking up at where Genesis was hovering above him, the alpha having a pensive expression on his face, his flush slowly creeping back onto his cheeks. “Genesis,” Cloud breathed, skating a few fingers across his chest, following the way the alpha’s eyes moved to watch his movements. “You can go again if you want to. You don’t need to be delicate with me.” 

He had a feeling that Genesis was still holding back, somehow. He was getting the odd feeling he normally did whenever alphas were still tentative about something. 

Genesis’s eyes moved back up to his face, leveling him with a look that Cloud couldn’t quite place, before the alpha huffed out a laugh, sounding just a little aggrieved. “Mmm, I don’t expect that you’re the delicate type.” Lightly teasing, if it was anyone else Cloud would call it affectionate. But still, he couldn’t read him well enough to come to any sort of conclusion. 

“I can be, if you need me to.” He said, eyeing the way Genesis’s cock twitched at his words, already hardening again. 

That was all it took for the alpha to groan again, to gently part Cloud’s thighs once more before easing his way back into him, Cloud’s hole pliant, still opened from earlier. 

He was a little sensitive, nothing too overwhelming, just warm in the way that he always was after being knotted. The sigh that left Genesis was shuddery, thin, and Cloud sighed when he pressed inside him again, their hips flush against each other. 

The only thing that Cloud could think about, as Genesis began fucking into him again, was that he was far easier to deal with than he’d assumed he would be. 

-

Something that Cloud had learned as the hours progressed was that, unlike Zack, who got marginally more lucid as time went on, Genesis fell deeper into his rut the longer it went on for. 

_”Ah!”_ Cloud moaned, his back arching as Genesis fucked him into the bedsheets, eyes rolling back as Genesis chased his peak, his pace brutal. The sounds between them were _obscene,_ toe-curlingly loud and Cloud didn’t even want to think about the cleanup that was going to be required. 

Above him, Genesis panted, sweat dripping from his hairline into his eyes, making his dark eyeliner run down his cheeks and Cloud groaned at the sight. 

The hands gripping his hips were _tight_ and Cloud knew there were going to be scratch marks left over, a particularly hard thrust forcing his breath from him as Genesis snarled, sounding animalistic. He moaned again, the sound of it being cut off when Genesis pulled back out, the sensation of his cock velvety and hot inside of him, before slamming his hips in again. 

“A-Alpha,” Cloud whined, his toes curling when Genesis growled and moved to grab at one of his thighs, throwing his calf over his shoulder with an inhuman sort of strength. The new angle was _intense_ and Cloud had to close his eyes in order to gather himself as Genesis picked up speed. 

It took him a moment before he realized that the alpha was actually saying something, instead of the incoherent growling that had been coming from him for the past handful of hours. “-look so fucking good when I fuck you full of my pups.” Huh. Interesting. 

He blinked blearily, eyeing the way the glassy look was back into Genesis’s eyes. Completely out of it. 

But, huh, a breeding kink? Cloud hadn’t expected that but fuck, at this point he was excited for anything new to work with. Genesis was being tight lipped about what he wanted despite using his body like a fuck toy. 

Fuck, Cloud was gonna risk it. 

He moaned, louder than he normally preferred, arching his back and spreading his legs as wide as the new position would allow. “Alpha!” He groaned, gripping at the sheets. “Fuck me! Breed me, get me pregnant with your pups!” 

Genesis’s hips stuttered and for a brief instant, he was worried he’d gone too far. 

The answering groan from above him soothed his worries, Genesis leaning forward, almost bending him in half, the new angle drawing a gasp from him. Genesis panted above him, close enough that Cloud could feel his breath fan across his face. “You want that?” He rasped, a smug grin on his face, eyes feverish, his eyeliner still running. “You want my babies? Wanna be my little w-“ Genesis gasped, grinding his emerging knot into Cloud’s cunt, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment. “-wife?” His breath was trembly, uneven, and Cloud moaned, half from the show he was putting on and half from the heavy feeling of Genesis’s cock inside him. 

“Yes,” he groaned, unable to keep from feeling smug when the alpha’s hips stuttered again. “ _Yes,_ I’ll be your little wife and you can fuck me full of your pups ev- _ah-_ every day.” Genesis _whined_ , pulling back and thrusting forward with a broken sound as he shifted his grip on Cloud’s leg, letting it down from his shoulder as he buried his face in his neck. 

The bite was a surprise. 

A genuine breath of shock left him at the sensation of his skin breaking, Genesis biting into the fatty part of his shoulder with teeth sharp enough to make him bleed, and the rush of hormones in Cloud’s head had him moaning, eyes rolling back into his head as he tightened down on his knot, stomach clenching. 

He, he was supposed to have stopped the bite from happening, at least warn Genesis before allowing him to do it a second time, but he’d been completely caught off guard. 

His muscles trembled as Genesis kept going, kept fucking him, the sensation of his half formed knot popping in and out of his cunt had his head spinning. 

“A-Alpha,” he moaned, voice trembling as Genesis laved at the bite mark, tongue wet and hot and overwhelming, the speed of his thrusts picking up as his knot just kept _growing-_

He came with a full bodied spasm, a gasp wrenching its way from his chest as Genesis snarled, fucking into him a few times more before stilling. “Th- _haah-_ There.” Genesis rasped, his hand moving in between them, palm pressing down over Cloud’s tattoo, the hot spurts of his cum inside him had Cloud groaning. “You’ll look so wonderful with my pups, darling.” Genesis sounded _ragged_ and Cloud wasn’t at all surprised when the alpha slumped, laying entirely on him as he kept spilling himself inside, hips twitching with the effort of it. 

He blinked, staring up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what had just happened. 

On one hand he was relieved that Genesis had finally given him something to work with. On the other hand, out of all the fetishes he’d expected the other to have, breeding wasn’t one of them. 

He gathered his breath slowly, absentmindedly moving to card his fingers through Genesis’s hair as the alpha came back to himself. Well, he’d had other clients with breeding kinks before, so he wasn’t exactly in foreign waters. He just hadn’t really anticipated it. 

It took a while before Genesis came back to himself. 

When Genesis groaned after a few more minutes, Cloud was entirely unsurprised, more amused than anything else. “I don’t even _like_ children.” The alpha whined into his shoulder, his voice muffled, and Cloud couldn’t help but snort. 

“Don’t think too hard about it,” he rasped, wincing at the sound of his voice. “Sometimes things just come out. It’s not a big deal.” He kept up with the motions of playing with Genesis’s hair, exceedingly careful with avoiding any tugging, as the alpha just groaned again. 

He had a feeling that if he breathed in deep enough, he’d be able to smell embarrassment. But he was too preoccupied with trying not to pass out to care enough to try. 

At least Genesis had finally seemed to relax, maybe indulging in his kink had managed to wear him out long enough that Cloud could take a little break, ignoring the knot that was currently still throbbing inside him. 

The minutes dragged on for a while longer as Cloud doted on the alpha, making sure that he was as okay as possible. When Genesis let out a heavy breath against his neck, strong and heady, he knew what was going to happen. 

Cloud hummed, rolling his hips, listening carefully to the sounds the alpha made as he came to terms with the fact that he was really going to have to _earn_ his check this time. 

-

_”Cloud,”_ Genesis groaned from above him, his cock spurting inside of him, Cloud’s mind feeling oddly numb, overwhelmed at the amount. 

He’d lost track of how many times this had happened, the feeling of Genesis’s knot forming feeling intimately familiar at this point. He panted, closing his eyes as his head thudded against the pillows, the fabric having long since gone damp with his sweat. 

He had no idea how long they’d truly been at it for. But Cloud knew that it had been more than a few days at this point, despite the scattered few hours of sleep throwing him off. 

A thin whine left him, Genesis’s trembling fingers trailing lines down his sides as he tried to catch his breath. The back of his throat felt _raw_ from how long he’d been panting, his breath catching in his throat more than once, almost choking him as he tried to gather himself. 

He went pliant, letting Genesis situate him how he wanted, the alpha still managing to have strength because of his near endless stamina. 

Fuck, Cloud’s insides felt raw. He wouldn’t be surprised if there was friction burn. 

Eventually, Genesis had shifted them to the point where Cloud was slumped on top of him, unable to hold himself up on legs that refused to work. 

The Mako enhancements were the real deal, seriously. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this tired. 

Genesis was breathing heavily underneath him, his breath stuttering in his chest, and Cloud felt distantly satisfied at the fact that their breathing had synched up, somehow. 

The space between them was silent, save for their breathing, the heady musk of Genesis’s rut making the air in the room feel heavy and warm. 

Cloud had no idea how much time passed before Genesis broke the silence, voice wobbly and thin. “We’re both disgusting.” He sounded resigned and Cloud blinked dumbly, trying to figure out what he meant by that, exactly. 

Whatever, Genesis didn’t seem mad so it wasn’t his problem. 

“A little, yeah,” he agreed, his own voice weak. 

They were quiet again, for a while, as Genesis traced the sensitive edge of his rim with his fingertips, idly feeling where they were locked together. As Genesis’s knot deflated enough to where Cloud could, in theory, climb off without a problem, he spoke again. “Let me clean you out, it’s the least I could do after getting you messy in the first place.” 

Considering the way Genesis didn’t stumble over any words, Cloud had a feeling that he’d mentally worded the question out before speaking it into existence. 

He grunted, blearily lifting his head up to look at the alpha, relieved at the sight of his clearer eyes. “Do you have a tub, then? I’m not sure if I can stand long enough for a shower.” He lied, he was sure. There was absolutely no way he could withstand that. 

The fingers near his hole tapped an amused pattern, and he sighed as Genesis spoke, his voice growing stronger. “No, dear, I’d like for you to sit on my face so I can handle it that way.” 

It took him a few moments to realize what Genesis had said, his mind going blank for a brief second. He looked at him, searching for any sort of deception, Genesis just giving him a tired, but indulgent, smile. 

Well, who was Cloud to refuse a request like that? 

“If you’re sure then of course.” He said, forcing his weak arms to hold him upright as he straightened. “Now?” He asked, feeling the way Genesis’s cock began stirring back to life inside of him. 

The alpha groaned, the sound deep in his chest. _”Yes,”_ he hissed, voice tight, and Cloud couldn’t help but feel amused at how into it he was. Sitting himself up was a trial, his arms shaking as he braced against the bed, slowly easing his hips up and off of Genesis’s cock. 

He whined, feeling a spurt of cum dribble out from him before he tried to tighten back up, unable to keep himself entirely closed. “Shit,” he panted, bracing himself on a single palm as he brought his other hand back, cupping himself between his legs and pressing upwards, forcing the cum to stay inside. 

It was wet and warm against his fingers and it made him feel dizzy. 

“Come here,” Genesis groaned, his cheeks flushing as Cloud eased himself up his chest, moving to straddle his face as Genesis moved down the bed to give him more room to squat. He listened to the alpha’s ragged breathing as he swayed, using his free hand to now brace himself against the headboard, gripping the metal bed frame as best as he could. 

_”Alpha,”_ he breathed, looking down at where Genesis’s head was in between his legs, his hand still pressing against his cunt. 

Genesis’s eyes had gone hazy with lust again, the scent of it making Cloud feel as if he was getting a head rush. “Come here,” Genesis said again, moving his hands up to Cloud’s thighs, pulling his cunt towards his face. “I’ll clean you out and fill you up again.” Fuck. 

He whined, moving his hand out of the way when he could feel the warm heat of Genesis’s lips against his knuckles, moving to grab his cock instead, holding it out of Genesis’s face. 

_”Leave it,”_ the alpha growled, hands tightening as he pulled Cloud’s cunt flush against his face, the first warm lap of his tongue startling a moan out of him. 

He listened, breath shaky as he went to grab the head board with both hands, his legs already shaking at the sensation of Genesis eating him out. 

The sloppy sounds of Genesis working his tongue into him had his head spinning, the texture of it driving him insane. A whine left him, thin and high, when his lips scraped against his clit. From beneath him, Genesis moaned, sending vibrations straight into his cunt, and Cloud _clenched_ , the movement drawing another, more frantic sound from the alpha. 

He let his head hang, watching the way Genesis’s eyes had gone hazy with lust, Cloud’s cock hiding half his face from him. Fuck, it was hot. 

They locked eyes and Cloud bit his lip, watching as Genesis’s eyelids fluttered shut, his hands pulling him down closer, his tongue dipping inside him and Cloud could feel the way he was swallowing him down. 

_”Haah,”_ he breathed, goosebumps trailing down his arms when Genesis sucked at his folds, one eye opening to watch Cloud as he shook apart. 

He had no idea how many times he’d already come during this entire rut, but he could feel the telltale heat already pooling deep in his gut, he was close. His cock twitched against Genesis’s face, the alpha moaning against him at the feel of it, and Cloud had to remind himself to breathe. 

The metal underneath his hands had grown warm, and he desperately squeezed at it, trying to gain back some purchase as the sloppy sounds filled the space in between them. 

Genesis swallowed again, the sound loud and pornographic, and another sigh stuttered its way from him. He trembled, legs weak, sliding to the sides, further pressing his cunt against Genesis’s face, the alpha continuing to lave at him, the scent of arousal almost overwhelming. 

“Gen,” he panted, shivering despite feeling almost feverish. “I-I’m gonna-“ Genesis sucked at his clit, cutting him off, and he moaned, bucking down onto his face, Genesis’s grip on his thighs tightening to the point it almost hurt. 

When he came, it felt like an _explosion._ His knees went weak, grip on the metal bars turning desperate as he let out a sob, his entire body twitching as he _gushed_ into the alpha’s mouth. Genesis moaned underneath him, the sound of it sweet as Cloud’s cock spurted, hitting him on the cheek. 

He bit his lip, unable to keep from whining as Genesis cleaned him up, feeling oversensitive and far too loose for his own good. After a few torturous moments, the alpha patted at his butt, the action soft, and Cloud forced himself up, off his face, his legs feeling like putty. 

“Fuck,” he shivered, flopping down onto the sheets next to Genesis, shifting over to look at the alpha, his stomach twisting itself into knots as he watched the way Genesis dragged his finger through the cum on his cheek before popping it into his mouth, sucking it clean. 

Jeez. 

He looked at him, eyeing the way there was still a bit of his slick against the alpha’s chin, and resisted the urge to lick it off. 

Genesis shot him a _look_ , his eyes still full of heat. “I didn’t know you could squirt.” And Cloud snorted, his smug expression too much for him to handle at the moment. 

“I don’t normally do, I guess you’re special.” He said, leaning forward and running his own fingers against the remaining moisture on Genesis’s face, sucking them just as the alpha had done before. He watched, amused, as the alpha’s eyes darkened further, his pupils dilating yet again. “How do you want me next?” He asked, cunt already complaining at him, his body desperately wanting a break. But, well, even if this _wasn’t_ his job, he’d be an asshole to not get Genesis to cum after that. 

Genesis hummed, an edge of strain to it as he moved his hand, dragging it up Cloud’s side with a delicate sort of ease. “I’m ready to go, but I’m enhanced.” A small snort. “You’re tired, aren’t you?” Genesis asked, and Cloud rolled his eyes. 

“I’ll be alright, you can go ahead.” He said, voice still tired, his eyes flagging a bit now that the post-orgasm tiredness was settling over him. 

“Really now?” Genesis murmured, moving in close to mouth at Cloud’s collarbone as he shivered. “You seem close to passing out. I don’t think I’m quite comfortable with knotting you when you’re this tired.” There was still an amusement to his voice, but Cloud could tell he was serious about it. 

It had been a few days at this point, they were both tired, but he was _sore._

He appreciated Genesis’s concern but he’d rather not risk him slipping further into his rut fever. 

And he had a sinking suspicion that Genesis wouldn’t be as open to fucking him in his sleep as Zack was. It didn’t leave him with many options. 

A short hum let him and he shifted lazily, looking at Genesis with lidded eyes. “If you want to, you can fuck my thighs.” He watched his eyes widen, smelled it when the meaning behind his words hit, and knew he’d found a winner. 

Genesis moved to sit up and Cloud didn’t even try to hide his grin. “How exactly would I do that?” Genesis asked, already by his legs, and he huffed out a laugh, stretching languidly against the sheets. 

“Get in between my legs, I’ll fix the position.” He said, shivering at the warmth of Genesis’s body when the alpha listened to him. 

Once he’d settled, Cloud shifted, careful not to touch Genesis’s weeping cock as he moved. He pressed his legs together, bringing them up near Genesis’s chest, and throwing both of his calves over one of his shoulders. Genesis’s eyes were _burning_ and Cloud let out a breath as Genesis’s hands gently grabbed at his thighs. 

The backs of his thighs were against the entirety of his chest, and Genesis could press him near in half this way. 

“There,” he breathed, shifting his hips, feeling Genesis’s cock against his ass. “You can fuck between my thighs at this angle.” 

Genesis let out a ragged breath, one of his hands letting go of Cloud’s thighs to dip into his cunt, gathering some of his slick on his fingers before rubbing it over his length. Cloud shivered at the light touch, at how careful Genesis was being when he was already so sensitive. The slick sounds of Genesis getting himself wet filled the space between them, and when the warm head of his cock finally pressed in between his thighs, Cloud watched, feeling oddly breathless at the sight of the alpha’s flushed face. 

“There you go,” he cooed, the hot flesh in between his thighs was dizzying, and when the red cock head finally poked through his thighs, sliding right over Cloud’s own dick, he groaned at the sight. 

It didn’t take long, after that. 

Genesis fell into the frantic motions, fucking Cloud’s thighs tight and fast, the sound of skin hitting skin was _loud_ and Cloud panted, the sensation of it almost enough to rouse him again. 

Genesis’s hips stuttered, a fucked-out breath leaving the alpha as Cloud tightened his thighs together, his muscles clenching around his half-formed knot. 

_”Fuck,”_ Genesis swore, nearly folding Cloud in half as he came, the knot hard in between his legs. Cloud let out a breath, eyes wide as he watched him cum, the fiery spurts of it painting his stomach and chest, stark against his skin. One of them hit Cloud’s jaw and he flinched, startled. Genesis whined and Cloud’s eyes darted up to his face, feeling fond at the tired expression on the alpha’s face, his eyes half lidded as he kept cumming, hips twitching, the spurts petering out after a while longer. 

“Good alpha,” Cloud said, moving his hands up to massage at his thighs, feeling Genesis’s hips stiffen and watching how the motions managed to milk out another short spurt of cum from his cock. “You were so nice for me, do you feel better?” He asked, Genesis managing a grunt in response and honestly, it was good enough for him. 

When Genesis finally moved, pulling himself out from between his thighs, shakily moving to lay next to him. Cloud looked at him, amused, something in his chest twisting when the alpha leaned in, licking at the cum that had gotten on his jaw. It was warm and wet and, frankly, gross. “You’re cleaning me up?” Cloud chuckled, Genesis’s indulgent smile was genuine, as far as he could tell. 

Wavering hands trailed down to his stomach, smearing the come on his stomach with little care, and Cloud resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Maybe a little,” Genesis said, a sly grin on his face as he gathered some cum in his fingers, giving Cloud an amused look before bringing them up to his mouth. 

Cloud opened his lips, accepting them with ease, the taste of it was fairly standard but with a hint of chemical tang that wasn’t quite there with other alphas. Genesis’s fingers were gentle, but prying, the pads of his fingers pressing down on his tongue as Cloud diligently licked them clean. 

He released his fingers with a pop, Genesis’s eyes warm as his gaze shifted, looking back at the rest of the cum on Cloud’s stomach before leaning to grab a spare towel, wiping him down. 

Cloud was vaguely relieved, he hadn’t really wanted to swallow _all_ of that. 

Genesis settled in next to him, finally seeming as if he’d tired enough to scrape together more than a few scattered hours of fretful sleep. Cloud looked over, his eyes burning with a bone-deep sense of tiredness that threatened to pull him down. 

The alpha gave him a quiet smile, indulgent, and the fingers were back on his cheek. Cloud smiled, unable to keep it to himself as Genesis lightly prodded at his cheek. Genesis leaned in, closer to his face, and Cloud blinked, as if coming out of a daze. He could feel the soft plumes of warm breath that fanned over his face, and it was all he could do to bring his other hand up when Genesis leaned in closer, his lips just barely pursing together. 

When Genesis’s lips came into contact with Cloud’s fingers in a light press, the alpha looked at him, his gaze searching. Cloud’s mouth ran dry. “You-“ he began, swallowing when Genesis moved back, away from his hand. “You said no kissing.” He rasped, something in his chest aching as he watched the understanding cross Genesis’s face. 

He hadn’t been able to do much to stop the bite, but he’d do his best to follow Genesis’s other requests. 

It took a while for Genesis to answer, and when he did, he sounded tired. “Thank you, darling, I had forgotten.” 

It felt like he’d misstepped, somehow. 

Despite whatever had gone wrong between them, Genesis closed his eyes, and laid down, resting his head against Cloud’s shoulder with a sigh, breathing in his scent. 

It wasn’t long before Cloud was out, sleep overtaking him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have gone overboard 
> 
> Anyways!! Thank u so much for reading ;;; sorry I didn't reply to like, any comments last chapter, I got a little overwhelmed but I definitely appreciated them sdjkfhahjd thank you all so much for being interested, it means a lot to meeee 
> 
> Shoutout to Genesis for fucking away all of his anger, king! Good for him, he's done it.
> 
> Also!! thank u all so much for 200 kudos wtf I rlly didn't expect that omfg that's so nice


	5. Chapter 5

Cloud watched carefully as Genesis slept, the alpha still lightly snoring, utterly exhausted after the past few days. 

From what he could tell, his rut had broken sometime through the night. Cloud couldn’t smell it on him anymore, fresh, at least, and he had a feeling that he was going to wake up feeling as though he’d been hit by a train. 

That tended to be how these things went. 

So he watched, quiet, as the light from the barely-open drapes got brighter, the sun slowly rising. 

When Genesis cracked open his eyes, blinking blearily up at him, Cloud gave him a soft smile. “Good morning, I’m pretty sure you’re done with your rut, right?” He asked, keeping his tone light and airy, distantly relieved when Genesis gave him a nod, a grunt leaving him as he shifted, waking up further. 

He seemed completely out of it, and Cloud fought against the urge to laugh. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, idly relaxing as Genesis came back to himself, carefully breathing in and tracking the air, making sure that there weren’t any scents that were off. 

“Goddess,” Genesis groaned, after a few more minutes, and Cloud opened his eyes again, a small grin on his face as the alpha rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this worn out after a rut.” 

He’d take that as a compliment. 

“Nothing hurts, though?” Cloud asked, moving to sit up so they could face each other better. “You’re probably a little sore, right? But nothing too severe?” He had to check, Genesis seemed like the type to ignore any sort of pain and attempt to just truck through it. 

All of the firsts seemed like they were the sort of person to do that, honestly. 

Genesis shot him a look, tired eyes scanning him as if looking for some sort of answer, before he sighed. “A bit. I feel as if I’m _sticky,_ this is vile.” It came with the territory. 

Cloud huffed out a laugh, more a breath of air than anything else. “A shower, then, is probably the best.” And Genesis just grunted, running a hand through his oily hair and grimacing at the sensation. 

“I’m off to shower, then, I can’t bear another minute of this.” And Cloud watched, amused as the alpha threw the blanket off himself and stood, looking almost wobbly as he tottered over to the bathroom on legs that seemed as if they were about to give out on him. “I’ll be done fast so you can take your turn.” When he said that, it was with a voice that was considerably more strained, and Cloud had to actually bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, the last of his restraint almost leaving him. 

When the bathroom door shut, and he could hear the shower begin to run, he allowed himself a few chuckles before lying back down, steadily ignoring the new wet spot his skin connected with. 

Whatever, he was taking a shower soon anyway. 

-

They stared at each other over the coffee table, each freshly cleaned and nursing their own respective cups of coffee, and Cloud bit the bullet, speaking first. 

“Did everything go alright during your rut?” He asked, voice careful, watching the way Genesis’s expression shifted just a bit as he moved to take a long sip from his mug. Cloud continued, after a moment, not quite knowing what that meant. “I just want to be sure that everything was alright, if I did anything that upset you in anyway, please feel free to tell me.” 

Genesis was very picky, which he had a right to be, but Cloud wanted to make sure he hadn’t potentially crossed over any boundaries. 

“You managed to make it a fairly enjoyable experience, which I hadn’t expected.” The alpha said, sounding as if the confession was like pulling teeth, and Cloud sagged with relief, cupping the warm mug in between his hands like a lifeline. 

“I’m glad, I’m really glad.” He said, pulling his hands off the ceramic as the hot coffee inside began to burn at his palms. “I know you weren’t looking forward to it, so I’m glad it wasn’t completely miserable for you.” 

He’d never had clients before that weren’t entirely into the scene. Normally he was used to being the one that was disinterested, or even disgusted, by the acts that were going on. It was never the other way around for him, and the feeling of it left him feeling unsteady. 

Genesis took another sip, eyebrows scrunching together as he thought something through, and Cloud listened when he spoke. “I apologize for biting you, that wasn’t something I had anticipated would happen.” Cloud blinked, one of his hands moving up to trace at the edges of the bite mark that Genesis had given him, the wounds just barely closed over. He’d cleaned it as best he could in the shower, and had mostly been relieved that it’d scabbed over. 

But Genesis was getting a _look_ in his eyes, and Cloud didn’t know what to make of it. 

“That’s alright,” he said, continuing on when he looked entirely unconvinced. “I know that biting was on your list of things you didn’t want to happen. I should’ve been better at preventing it in the first place.” It was a terrible lack of foresight on his end, he should’ve known that this was a likely possibility. Especially considering Genesis had had modifications made to him, Cloud hadn’t prepared well enough for the likelihood of it happening. 

Genesis sighed, sounding aggrieved as he massaged at his temples, a strained expression on his face. “No, it was my fault, I should have been more mindful to not bite you until you _bled._ ” 

Ah, so it was a control issue, huh. 

Well, he wasn’t going to break through with Genesis today, the alpha was probably going to be entirely unconvinced about anything Cloud had to say on the matter. It was best that he just try and sweep this under the rug. “There’s no hard feelings. Let’s just agree to put this behind us.” He said, giving the alpha a small, genuine smile, relieved when Genesis seemed to accept that. 

Thank goodness, he hadn’t wanted there to be an entire scuffle over this. 

They managed to spend the next few minutes in each others presence, silently enjoying the newfound lack of tension between the two of them, and Cloud found that he genuinely _liked_ it. Interesting, he definitely hadn’t thought that this would mend their first sour interactions. He’d been certain that it was a complete write-off in regards to a friendly work relationship. Having it smoothed over was unexpected, but he liked it. 

When he finished his cup, a few stray coffee grounds sticking to the inside of the mug, he let out a breath, feeling oddly invigorated. 

He looked at Genesis, the alpha giving him a look that, while still indecipherable, seemed to have a new edge of softness to it. “I’ll head out, then.” And, after a few seconds of mulling it over- “I gave Zack number when we were together, and you already have mine. So, well, if you need to contact me for anything, just feel free to message me.” He said, Genesis giving him a thin smile, the look of it barely-there, but still indulgent. 

“I’ll be sure to do that, thank you, darling.” Genesis said, offhanded, the pet name sliding off his tongue with a practiced sort of ease and Cloud forced himself to keep his facial expression flat. 

He sighed, though, fond as he double checked to be sure that he had all his things with him. “I’m heading out, see ya, Genesis.” He said, the alpha waving him away lazily as he took another sip of his drink. 

When Cloud left, he felt oddly light, the dread from before having entirely evaporated into a sense of giddy relief. Oh, he’d just thought that it would go so _bad_ and now that it was over and it’d ended up far better than he’d thought it would be, he was thrilled. 

Thank the goddess, now he could go home and sleep for three days in a row without feeling like shit.

-

When enough time had passed and he felt like an actual human again, he started on the short trip down to Seventh Heaven. He hadn’t seen Tifa and everyone else in _forever,_ it felt like it’d been so long since he’d gotten the chance to actually see them all in person instead of over video calls. 

The bar was as dead as it normally was during the afternoon, and when he opened the front door, he couldn’t repress his grin even if he tried. 

The low light of the bar was nice and welcoming, homey despite him not visiting in a while, and with only a few scattered regulars throughout the entire place, he was able to easily spot Tifa. 

The other omega looked up, her eyes widening at the sight of him, and Cloud grinned as she began chuckling. She leaned over the counter as he walked up to where she was, the glasses around her in the process of being cleaned had been abandoned as she gave him a coy smile. “Hey stranger, I haven’t seen you around here before! What’s up?” She teased and he rolled his eyes. 

“Nothing much, just dealing with some more demanding clients than usual.” He’d signed the NDA with the president and definitely couldn’t confess to Tifa the actual circumstances surrounding his new work, but he really did want to. 

Even if it was to do nothing else but gossip. Cloud was getting a little pent up here, he wasn’t the best at keeping secrets, and lying by omission definitely counted. 

Tifa gave him one of her light smiles, moving behind the counter to go around the front, pulling him into a quick hug that he couldn’t help but sink into. He let out a breath, squeezing back when she tightened her arms first, breathing in the honeyed scent of her skin. Her and Barret had to be tied for having the best hugs. 

She pulled away with a short sigh, and he grinned, relieved when she smiled back. “They weren’t _bad_ clients though, right?” The distinction was important and he shook his head, watching the last remaining bit of stiffness drain from her shoulders. “That’s good, I’ve been getting worried again.” 

There was something in her eyes that told him that this wasn’t just her general concern for him and he straightened, giving her a _look_ that made her grimace. 

She tilted her head at the few customers, gesturing lowly as she began moving, and he couldn’t do anything but absently trail after her. 

It wasn’t like they were being _loud_ when it came to talking, but if whatever she was thinking about was bad enough that she felt the need to go into an entirely different area of the bar, then Cloud was a little concerned. 

She paused when they reached one of the store rooms, close enough to the front area that she could keep an eye on things, but far enough away that they were able to retain some privacy. “Tifa,” he started, not liking the way she sighed, moving a hand up to run through her hair, tugging it from the low ponytail it was always in. “Something’s up, isn’t it?” He really hoped that it _wasn’t_ but with the way she was-

“Me and Aerith think that Corneo’s making noise again.” She said and he stiffened, having to school himself to keep from reeling in shock. She kept going and Cloud couldn’t help but look down at her stomach, where a tattoo that shared the same brightness as his own was sprawled across her lower stomach. “Barret too, he’s heard some stuff mentioned by a few of the shadier customers, offhanded, nothing too serious, but it’s enough to be worried about.” 

Tifa was _good_ at sniffing out problems when they were apparent, and so were the others, Cloud figured that if they were worried about it then there was good reason to be. “Does it have something to do with the Honeybee Inn?” 

Even mentioning the name of that place was enough to draw a grimace from her. “Maybe. It’s early enough that I don’t know much of what’s actually going on here.” A frown crossed her face and Cloud just felt tired. “Corneo’s a bastard though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was poking his nose into his former employee’s business again.” The level of scorn in the way she said employee was enough to have him cracking a weary grin. 

“Looks like we’ll just have to wait and see if he does anything else,” Cloud said, his mood souring further at the thought. Goddess, just when he’d thought the asshole had finally decided to leave them alone. 

Tifa broke through the mood with a soft laugh, nudging his arm with her elbow, gesturing for them to go back to the front room. “How’s everything been going though, you’re good, right?” He had a feeling that if Tifa actually knew who his clients were, she would be far less blasé about it all. 

Cloud was _still_ reeling from everything and he was the one doing the work, jeez. 

“It’s been fine,” he shrugged, sitting in the space up at the bar that she steered him towards, his eyes trailing after her as she walked back behind the counter. “I’ve raised my prices though, so I’ll be free more often now that I don’t have to take on as many clients.” 

And Tifa let out a shrill _squeal,_ clapping her hands over her mouth as he startled, blinking. She leaned over the counter, batting at his arms, a grin on her face. “Cloud, finally! I’ve been telling you to raise your prices, I can’t believe you finally listened. I’m so _glad,_ we can finally hang out more! You’re always so busy with work and so am I, our schedules are _terrible_ for planning things together with.” He grinned back unable to even try and seem as if he wasn’t as excited at the prospect as her. 

He couldn’t even remember the last time him and Tifa had spent overnights with each other, the both of them were just always busy. Goddess, it was easier back when they’d both worked for _Corneo._

“I know, it’s a relief.” He sighed. Shit, it wasn’t that he _liked_ working so much, especially in the industry he was, but it was reflexive at the point. He was just used to a heavy workload at this point. 

He hadn’t realized how much of a relief it would be to have more time off until he’d actually been forced to thin his schedule. 

“Alright,” Tifa gave him another smile, moving away from him, back on her side of the counter. “We’re gonna figure plans out. It really has been so long since you’ve actually sat down with us all.” She grinned, and this time it was sly. “Marlene and Denzel have been mentioning you.” 

He groaned, letting his head hit the cold counter with a dull thunk as Tifa giggled at him. “Stop, please, I already feel so guilty.” There was an edge of humor to his voice, but still, ouch. 

“Alright, alright, you big baby.” Tifa laughed as he sat back up, passing him some of the glass mugs she’d been working on drying. “Help me out back here, you can work to make up for it.” 

He rolled his eyes, but listened, grabbing the towel from her and starting on the mundane task, feeling lighter than he had in a long while. 

-

When he got back to his apartment, it was late. 

He quietly shut the door behind him, nighttime making him act quieter than he normally did, and eased his way through the space. 

His phone chiming out from inside his pocket had him startling so hard he almost tripped over his own feet. 

He fumbled for it, heart thudding in his chest, and let out a heavy sigh when he saw the email notification. It was from one of the clients that he’d kept, one of the few that he actually enjoyed the presence of. Sometimes. Only on occasion. 

Absentmindedly, he sat down in one of the dining area chairs, skimming through the message, eyebrows raising at the sight of the scattered typos. 

To sum it up, the guy was requesting a rush arrival. Interesting. 

He’d done it before, on a few occasions, so it wasn’t exactly out of character but fuck, it was _late._

Well, Cloud sighed, he didn’t want to lose this client compared to the others. 

He shot back a quick email, typing one-handedly, telling him he’d be there as fast as he could manage, as he tried to force the coffee machine to spit out something to drink. 

By the time he was frantically swallowing down too-hot sips of coffee, propping one leg up on the chair and fingering himself open with the lube he kept in the kitchen drawers (for situations like _this one_ ) he got another email back. 

It was a short confirmation, and a screenshot of an extra tip that the guy had sent to his online banking account. 

Yeah, yeah _that_ was why Cloud kept this client around, even if fingering himself in the kitchen fucking sucked. 

Finally, when his tongue and throat were screaming at him for drinking fiery coffee and he was adequately opened up, he wiped his hands off, mourning the sleep he was looking forward to. 

He left his place, making sure to lock it behind him, and was halfway down the stairwell before his phone buzzed again and he debated throwing it down the concrete stairs to get it to shut the fuck up. 

The sender made him pause, though, and when he read the message he grimaced further. 

From Zack: _Hey Cloudy! We were wondering if u wanted 2 hang out sometime :D_

He was halfway through grudgingly writing a polite decline when Zack double-texted and he outwardly groaned. 

Zack: _Gen said u were cool btw! I’m glad u got along LOL_

He hadn’t even declined yet and he was _already_ feeling guilty. He grit his teeth, ignoring the wetness between his thighs, and made a bad choice. 

Cloud: _I’ll be free in a few days! I’m working right now so I’ll be busy for a while_

That was all he was gonna say on the matter, he seriously had to start booking it to his client’s place. 

He shivered when he left the building, the cold air emphasizing how his gut was starting to tighten and warm. At least the guy was close by, Cloud was grateful for that. 

When Zack finally texted him back, he was being waved in by the front desk worker, the woman clearing him the instant she recognized him. Cloud bit back a sigh, reading through it as he walked up the steps, careful to use the rail incase he tripped and ate shit against the concrete. 

Zack: _Oh haha, makes sense! :) Just text when ur free haha_

The tone shift was noticeable but Cloud didn’t have time to think about that. He shut his phone down, making it so even if he got texts he wouldn’t be able to hear it. Alpha possessiveness _sucked._ He tucked it into his back pocket and walked up to the door with his client’s apartment number, memorized by now, and knocked on the door. 

He never got tired of the way his more enthusiastic clients would quite literally sweep him off his feet the instant they caught sight of him. 

Cloud sighed against the pair of lips that were pressing into his own and let himself get manhandled, mentally preparing himself for the next few days. 

-

His client waved him off with a tired smile a few days later, and Cloud was relieved at the fact that he was able to take some more time for himself. 

He hadn’t been as demanding as the firsts, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t enthusiastic. 

The trudge back to his apartment was tiring and he was fantasizing about the warm bath he could take, the bare minimum shower at his client’s place hadn’t been enough to soothe his residual aches. 

And fuck, when he finally stepped into his apartment, that was what he did. 

The warm water was inviting and soothing and he shut his eyes, sinking deeper into the bath as the scent of vanilla washed over him. He’d do a deeper clean later, whatever, right now he just wanted to relax. 

Thankfully, he hadn’t needed to take more than one pain med, the client wasn’t quite as well endowed as some of his others and frankly Cloud was grateful for it. Size didn’t very much matter to him as long as he got paid and honestly if they weren’t massive it just made his job easier. 

He had no idea how much time had passed, his eyes glazing over and going bleary as the water grew lukewarm around him. He peered around the bathroom, spotting his phone with tired eyes and sighing. Might as well check his messages. Going through them after a client session always sucked. 

He sat up, relieved when his muscles felt far better than they had before, lazily drying his hand with a towel before grabbing the phone. 

Skipping past the lock screen, knowing that it would just automatically be overwhelming, he opened his messages, eyebrows raising when he saw that Zack was at the top of the notification list. There was only one unread one, Zack leaving him to himself as he worked, and Cloud was grateful for it. 

From Zack: _Hey Cloud! Idk if ur still working, but we’re hanging today if u wanna stop by! :p_

Any of the weird tone issues from before had disappeared and Cloud smiled, tired, but fond. 

If he’d seen this before his bath he would’ve outright refused but shit, he was fine for hanging out for at least a little while. 

Besides, it wasn’t as if talking to Zack was a trial. And Genesis was fine in his book, they’d smoothed everything over. Cloud trusted that the other firsts were fine too, they had to be, Zack at least didn’t seem like the type of person to hang out with assholes. 

Okay, yeah, only for a while. He wouldn’t take too long. 

Cloud: _Sounds good :) I’ll be able to hang out, is there a specific address to go to?_

He shut his phone back off, making sure it was in a dry spot before stepping from the tub, reaching for one of the towels, wrapping it around himself as he drained the tub. 

He was halfway through toweling his hair dry before his phone buzzed again, demanding his attention. 

Zack: _Awesome!! Here’s the place!_

The message was followed by a short address that Cloud quickly identified as one of the Shinra apartments, the naming scheme was similar. It wasn’t one of the ones he’d seen before though, so it had to belong to one of the other firsts. But which one? 

Whatever, it didn’t make a difference. 

He shook himself, typing back a quick affirmative before toweling his hair dry. He had to make himself presentable at least, showing up in old clothes that smelled like another rutting alpha would probably only serve to piss them off despite how accommodating they’d seemed. 

Well, time for him to get ready. 

-

He’d thrown on the most comfortable clothes that he was able to get away with. Jeans that’d long since softened in the wash and a large, chunky sweater, barely presentable enough that it was fine to wear. Perfect. He slipped on his shoes, the ones that didn’t have alpha-stink stuck to them, and started out again. 

Honestly it felt like he was spending more time outside his apartment than inside it, these days. 

The route to where the alphas were being housed was starting to become practiced, and Cloud didn’t quite know what to feel about that. The last vestiges of his stress refused to leave him alone, and when he knocked on the door, it was with apprehension. 

Apprehension that faded the instant Zack opened the door, a bright grin on his face. 

Okay, Cloud was weak, he’d admit it. It wasn’t his fault that Zack was just so good at completely barreling through any poor mood. 

“Cloud!” Zack said, gesturing for him to walk inside, a heavy hand moving to clasp his shoulder, squeezing lightly, enough to be bracing. He found himself grinning, Zack’s joy was infectious. “It’s been a while dude, glad you could make it!” 

He huffed a short laugh, letting himself be led deeper into the apartment, mulling over who’s place this could be, as he spoke. “Thanks for inviting me, I was looking forward to it.” Zack squeezed his shoulder again, still warm and soft and not at all too tight, and gestured towards where the other firsts were sitting, Genesis giving him a light wave. 

Something in his chest squeezed at that, the light validation was, well, nice. 

“We’re not doin’ much,” Zack laughed, motioning for Cloud to sit in one of the free seats, Cloud following his lead easily. “Just catching up on a few episodes of a show.” 

“Sounds good,” he said, sinking into the seat and allowing himself to _rest_ , the toll of the last few days settling over him as he finally relaxed. “Thanks again for inviting me.” He felt the need to add as he glanced around the room, Genesis watching him with an idle smile on his face, Angeal watching Genesis as well, an unreadable expression on his face. 

Cloud didn’t know if blank faces were Sephiroth’s thing, but he was getting a flat look from him, and he didn’t know what to make of it. 

“Nah, it’s no biggie,” Zack said as he settled in next to him, his body just close enough that Cloud could feel the heat radiating from him, but far enough that they weren’t touching. “Besides, I think the others wanted to see you.” He said, voice more teasing than not, and Cloud blinked, confused, as Angeal groaned, sounding tired. 

“When you say it like that, it sounds terrible.” And Zack just laughed, nudging Cloud’s arm like they were in on some private joke. 

Angeal continued on, looking at him with an expression that seemed almost _solemn._ “I feel that we owe you an apology for-“ a sigh, “-everything up until this point.” 

_What?_

He furrowed his brows, not quite understanding what they were getting at, Genesis’s eye roll and Sephiroth’s flat expression told him _nothing._

“Uh, well, what are you even apologizing for? From what I can remember, there’s nothing that any of you would even need to apologize for.” He said, hoping that they wouldn’t come out of left field with some event that he hadn’t even known about. 

Angeal gave him the softest of smiles, and Cloud’s eyes trailed over the small bags underneath his eyes. “We were ruder than necessary when we first met. I just wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings about anything.” 

Huh. Well, that was interesting. Cloud was oddly touched. 

His shoulders slumped, he hadn’t even realized they’d been stiffening until he relaxed them. “That’s fine, I can understand why you guys were worried. I’m just glad that it’s not as stressful to think about anymore.” He was assuming that Zack and Genesis had told them about everything that had happened, that had to be why Angeal was apologizing despite not even having rutted with him yet. 

Sephiroth was still quiet, and when Cloud looked over at him, he could see the tiniest twitch to his nose, as if he was trying to stifle a sneeze. It was a little silly, especially from him. 

He spoke again, changing the subject just enough to keep it from any potential awkward topics. “I’ve already given Zack and Genesis my actual phone number, if you’d like it too. I know that it’s easier to contact me that way, so the offer is there if you need it.” He had no idea if Angeal and Sephiroth would require rules similar to what Genesis did, but he was noticing a few tells from Sephiroth already. Nothing too major, but he seemed more private than the others, Cloud wouldn’t be surprised at all if he would require a few rules. 

“That sounds perfect,” Angeal said, perfectly kind, sidestepping Cloud’s initial response with a clean reply to his offer. That was clever, he didn’t have to acknowledge the fact that Cloud brought up a potential weakness. 

These men all seemed so messy. It honestly surprised him that they’d managed to last this long by powering through their ruts. 

It took a few moments, but Cloud was able to input his information into both Angeal and Sephiroth’s phones. He leaned across Zack to gesture to Angeal’s phone, motioning for him to type it in correctly. 

He could feel Zack stiffen, just a little, and mentally apologized, making sure that none of their skin touched as he hurried up to finish typing the last letters of his name. When he leaned back, into his own personal space and out of Zack’s, he shot him a look, grimacing at the look in Zack’s eyes. 

The expression wasn’t necessarily _bad_ but he definitely looked shocked. 

Zack’s nose twitched, and he spoke before Cloud could even think to apologize. “Why do you smell like another alpha?” He asked, an odd tone to his voice that Cloud couldn’t quite place. 

When the meaning behind the connection struck him he flushed, embarrassed. _Fuck,_ he’d forgotten to do the deep clean before coming here. He’d just bathed normally. 

Shit. 

It wasn’t bad enough that they’d noticed when he was normally sitting there, but of course it would be noticeable when he _leaned over_ Zack to go type something. 

“Sorry,” he apologized, clearing his throat when it stuck, embarrassed. “I thought that I’d cleaned the scent away.” He soothed, knowing that the scent of another alpha in _rut_ of all things wasn’t going to do anything but piss them off. “I was doing another job for the past few days, I guess some of the scent stuck more than normal.” 

Zack nodded, a smile that was strained at the ends crossed his face and Cloud tried to keep from grimacing. “Oh, yeah, you mentioned that. Sorry, I should’ve been able to tell.” Ouch, Cloud hid a wince, straightening as Genesis coughed, drawing his attention. 

His smile had a sharp edge to it, as it always did, and Cloud was distantly relieved at the familiar lilting tone that filled the space. “He must have been quite the alpha to leave a scent on you for more than a few days.” And Cloud frowned lightly, mulling his words over for a moment before speaking, confused. 

“No, no it wasn’t a few days ago. It was recent, all things considering, it was more of me being forgetful than it was his scent sticking harder than normal.” He tried to soothe away any hurt feelings, not wanting to cause any issues between them all over his own forgetfulness. Maybe it would’ve been better for him to have just not come, that way he would’ve been rested up enough to not have made this mistake in the first place. 

It was Zack’s turn to look confused, the tension leaving him as he tilted his head, considering. “Recent? What does that mean?” And Cloud flushed, moving to pick at the edges of his sweater in an attempt to give his hands something to do as he glanced down at the floor, thin sort of dread filling him. 

“Uh, well, I left this morning-“ was all he was able to get out before Zack was shouting a short “Cloud!” 

He grimaced, Zack moving to squeeze at his arms, the alpha shaking him lightly, as if trying to force some sense into him. “Why didn’t you say that! You should be at home _resting!_ ” He said, voice loud and aghast, as if Cloud refusing to rest for the entire day after a job was the worst thing he’d ever heard. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he tried to soothe, but Zack was apparently not having it, the alpha moving to pull him in close, as if Cloud was some sort of damaged good. 

He had a feeling that there were ulterior motives involved when Zack rubbed a heavy palm over his bicep, as if rubbing his scent in to cover the other alpha’s, but kept quiet. 

“You’re probably wiped, dude, you should definitely be chilling or something.” Zack said and Cloud rolled his eyes, gently pulling himself from Zack’s side, an odd feeling in his chest at the sight of the alpha’s hurt expression. 

“All clients considered, this guy wasn’t one of the ones that required much work. I feel fine right now,” kinda. He mostly just felt hormonal, a little. But that wasn’t too bad to deal with. The alpha currently fretting over him didn’t make things better, either. It kinda made him want to roll over on his stomach and whine for more attention, but he’d rather eat his own foot than do that. 

Zack gave him another long look, Genesis breaking the silence right before it could become awkward, his voice easy and smooth. “So long as you believe you’re fine, then that’s alright.” Oddly soothing. Cloud felt uneasy, despite himself. The look in his eyes shifted, just barely turning sharper, and Cloud straightened. “If the client isn’t troublesome, then he must be kind? At the very least.” 

It felt like an odd way of asking Cloud more about his job, and he could see that Zack’s interest had been piqued again. 

Angeal looked tired, and Sephiroth looked neutral, as always. 

Well, he had to answer, or else it’d be a bit awkward. He chose his words carefully, not wanting to unintentionally offend. “He’s alright, one of my better clients. I can’t discuss much about him because of confidentiality, but he’s good at listening when it comes to boundaries, and being thorough when talking about his own.” It was the most neutral answer he could give, and Genesis looked thoughtful. 

Zack spoke again, nudging at Cloud to get his attention even if it wasn’t necessary for him to do so. “Well, as long as you’re alright, dude. If you need to bail to go do something then feel free to.” And Cloud shook his head, leaving when he was already here wouldn’t do anything beyond make him feel awkward. 

“I’m fine, seriously. It’s just like coming back home after working, it’s not that big of a deal.” He soothed. If he still worked with Corneo then it would be different. If he’d worked with a client that had similar energy to the firsts then it would _definitely_ be different. 

At this point though, his other clients had become easier in comparison. 

“No more talking about that,” Angeal interrupted, his voice kind. “I’m sure talking about work isn’t the most interesting thing to do.” 

Cloud mentally thanked him, relieved that the topic had been changed. Goddess, it wasn’t like he disliked talking about his work (well, he kinda did but that was another can of worms entirely) but he just didn’t want to talk about it _now._

Not to mention, there was the fact that he’d slept with Zack and Genesis. It must be awkward for them to hear. 

The others accepted with ease, Angeal’s word apparently carrying weight among the group, and Cloud settled in, the last of his uneasiness fading as Genesis shifted to turn the show on. 

Zack was a warm weight against his side, the two of them having moved closer during the little discussion, and Cloud didn’t have the heart to pull away. The warm scent of cedar was enough to remind him of his home, the woody scent of it was comforting and gentle, not too overpowering like other scents, and he found himself comforted despite everything. 

There was a part of him that loathed the idea of getting this close to any number of his clients, let alone four of them. He’d never have done this if they’d come to him by themselves, he had no idea how he’d let himself get talked into it this time. 

No, no. Cloud was responsible here too, he couldn’t just lay the blame on the others for inviting him when he’d accepted it. 

He worried at the inside of his lip, the skin of it was thin between his teeth and it was a fight to keep from biting down. The only thing stopping him was the fact that the alphas around him would be able to smell it if he started bleeding. 

The sounds from the TV were loud in the new silence of the room, Genesis in particular was enraptured by the couple on screen, and someone had felt the need to dim the room lights just a bit. 

He had a feeling it had been Sephiroth. 

Cloud only half paid attention to the screen, too preoccupied on seeming as if he wasn’t overthinking everything. Goddess, it was probably just hormones. His heat wasn’t meant to show up for a while, his phone calendar was still blessedly blank for the upcoming weeks, but he wouldn’t be surprised if something was going haywire. 

Zack shifted against him, the soft sound of the fabric seeming almost loud to his ears, at the same time Genesis groaned, loud and annoyed. “There’s no _way_ they just did that shit!” Cloud looked up and over at where the alpha had thrown his hands in the air, Angeal looking terribly amused at the sight. 

“I thought it was nice,” Sephiroth offered, the simple words causing Genesis to _explode_ while Zack just snorted. 

“What do you _mean_ you thought it was nice!?” He shrilled and Cloud couldn’t have stopped his jaw from dropping if he tried. “This adaptation is _nothing_ like the original play!” 

Zack shifted against his side again, leaning down to whisper into Cloud’s ear, the warm sensation of his breath forcing goosebumps to rise on his arms. “He’s really into _Loveless._ ” He said, as if that was any sort of explanation. 

“Uh huh,” Cloud said, watching as Genesis began to rant to an amused Angeal as Sephiroth watched, the mild confusion was plain on his face, even to Cloud, who didn’t quite know how to read his expressions yet. 

They were, well, odd. 

Cloud liked it, though, more than he thought he would. A knot of tension slowly unfurled from his gut and finally, he relaxed, Zack giving his arm another squeeze from where he’d thrown his own over Cloud’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooo here we gooooo, they're finally interacting more outside of sex >:3c anyways, any bets on who's the next one up? I've been looking forward to writing the next one ooo
> 
> Also!! Sorry for no update last week, I got a little busy and wasn't able to do it. Good thing is though that I'm participating in the upcoming NaNoWriMo so I'll be able to get more words in! (Some for my other fics that I've been abandoning too ugh ugh I've been dragging my feet on a few that are annoying)
> 
> Anyway!! Thank u all for readinggggg I'm so glad y'all are still sticking around haha!


	6. Chapter 6

Having more experience with the group in general was, well, nice. Cloud appreciated it, a little. It was still different from how he normally did things involving his clients, but he couldn’t say that it was necessarily bad. He was relieved, though, that they left him alone after he’d walked himself back home, giving him a bit of space. The past few days had been draining and he wanted to sleep for at least twelve hours straight before getting up and forcing himself to act like a human again. 

He _liked_ the others, it wasn’t like he didn’t want to see them, but sometimes he just needed to hang out by himself for a while. Especially in this line of work, it was draining to be around people when he wasn’t in the mood for it. 

Thankfully, Cloud was able to enjoy a generous few days of peace before getting a new text from Zack, this one different than the others, more frantic. He blinked, opening up the message and skimming over it, a short, disbelieving laugh leaving him as he did so. 

Zack: _hey, haha, I think Angeal might start his thingy soon so, like, be ready for that!_

“Thingy.” Cloud had to purse his lips to keep from smiling, amused at the shy wording. He guessed that it would be kinda awkward to think about a close friend’s rut cycles, but calling it a “thingy” was definitely new to him. 

Cloud: _Sounds good, thanks for giving me a heads up!_

And that was that, Zack liked his reply, but didn’t actually write him a physical response, and despite his relief at being left to himself for a few days, it kinda stung. 

At least until he got the automated message from the Shinra number an hour later, rote, the same as it had been with the other firsts, and then he just felt like a dick for being offended in the first place. He could imagine that babysitting someone in their pre-rut wasn’t exactly the most fun thing in the world to do. 

Well then, it was time to get to work. 

-

His routine was practiced at this point, standard, and he was able to get there fast enough, the secretaries waving him into the building with ease. It was almost a little embarrassing that they knew him already, but he’d take that over getting stalled at the front desk. 

The elevator brought him up fast enough, barely giving him the chance to come up with some sort of game plan here. 

He didn’t know much about Angeal, now that he thought about it. Hopefully it’d be able to go well regardless. 

Standing in front of Angeal’s apartment room had him coming to the realization that it’d been _his_ apartment that he’d gone to a few days ago when Zack had invited him over. Huh, Cloud couldn’t help but feel a little floored at that. 

He shook himself, after a moment. He had to focus here, he wasn’t going to allow himself to get sloppy with his work. 

He knocked on the door, the sound heavy and metallic as it reverberated through the hallway, and waited. Distantly, he could hear the sounds of shuffling from within the apartment, and he let himself shift to a more relaxed stance when the door opened, the hinges creaking just slightly. 

Angeal looked, well, not the best. He looked _tired_ more than anything else, and Cloud got an urge to dote upon the man at the sight of it. 

The scent was secondary, but still intense. He smelled _musky,_ just purely masculine and manly and Cloud swallowed, his Adams apple bobbing in his throat as Angeal motioned him inside, looking as if he was barely keeping himself composed. 

“Thank you for coming,” Angeal said, voice tight as he shut the door, and Cloud commended him for having the strength to attempt niceties. 

“Thanks for having me,” he said, leaning into Angeal’s space the tiniest bit, watching as the alpha’s nostrils flared and his pupils dilated. “We can just get to it, if you want to.” He said, trying to keep his voice as light and easy as possible as Angeal’s breathing deepened, like he was scenting the air and trying to get a taste of what Cloud smelled like. 

“Yeah,” he rasped, and Cloud fully expected it when he leaned into his space, the gentle scratch of his stubble against his collarbones causing him to shut his eyes at the sensation. “Yeah, that’s,” Angeal trailed off with a sigh, nose just barely touching the leather collar around his neck. 

Cloud reached his hands out just far enough to grab at Angeal’s belt loops, pulling him a little closer, the overwhelming heat of him already intense. Their bodies pressed against each other, the thin fabric of their clothes wasn’t enough to keep Cloud from being able to feel the way Angeal’s muscles shifted underneath. The muffled groan pressed into his skin told him enough, and he tilted his head just enough that his lips barely brushed against the lobe of Angeal’s ear. “Come on, show me where the bedroom is. Let’s get you out of this uniform.” He said, voice low and warm, Angeal’s grip against his biceps was entirely unsurprising. 

The sudden weightlessness, and the feeling of strong arms tossing him over the alpha’s shoulder in a smooth motion, was not. 

His breath left him in a rush, a small _”oof”_ escaping from him as Angeal started towards the bedroom, as if he hadn’t just thrown Cloud over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Fuck, Cloud tried not to squirm, his cunt tightening at the sensation. 

Normally he wasn’t the biggest fan of being tossed around like he was weightless, but fuck, it was kind of nice when Angeal did it. 

He really didn’t like how these alphas kept doing stuff like that, it was starting to feel unfair. 

Whatever, at least he was getting paid for this. He could tease himself for being so easy to impress later.

He let himself get carried to the bedroom, listening closely to make sure Angeal at least sounded alright, and braced himself when they entered the new space. It was clean, neat with darker tones than Genesis’s place had had. Fairly standard, as far as client rooms came. Angeal flopped him down onto the mattress almost painfully gently, apparently managing his rut fairly well right now, at least. 

Cloud looked up at him, at where Angeal had braced himself above him, his eyes dark and almost glassy, a reddish flush passing over his face, the color of it managing to somehow soften the hardness of his cheekbones. 

“Let’s get started, alright?” Cloud asked, voice soft, as he brought a hand up to cup at the alpha’s cheek, moving his other hand down to undo his own pants. 

Angeal closed his eyes, leaning lightly into his touch, and Cloud smiled, feeling something in his chest soften at the sight of it. “Okay,” Angeal rasped, leaning back onto his knees, giving Cloud space to wriggle out of his clothes as he pulled his own off. 

He ignored the sound of tearing fabric, figuring that it was best to just pretend that it didn’t happen. 

Cloud threw his clothes off the bed, uncaring as to where they landed, and shifted his hands down in between his thighs, past his cock, grabbing the end of the plug with firm hands and pulling it out with a sigh, his cunt clenching around nothing as he let himself relax. 

A deep growling sound told him that Angeal had seen it, and the snuffling sounds made it clear that he was smelling it as well. Cute. 

He looked up at him, watching as Angeal’s dark brows furrowed, and grinned, lazily tapping at the plug with his pointer finger as he held it in the rest of his hand. “I figured that being prepped was best,” he said, coy, as he tossed the toy to the side, Angeal taking it as a sign to move closer. 

Cloud let out a breath, the warm heat of the absolutely _massive_ alpha moving to settle in between his legs was enough to excite him. 

The wet, open-mouthed kiss that Angeal pressed against his lips only served to excite him further. 

He hummed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, pulling the alpha closer as he moved his other hand in between his legs, sliding an easy two fingers into himself, prodding and stretching at his hole to get it opened further. 

Angeal’s tongue lapped at his lips and he opened his mouth easily, allowing him to slide it inside, a groan leaving him as he added another finger in with the others. He spread his legs further, hooking a leg behind Angeal’s hip, enough to get a better angle on everything, and when the alpha deepened the kiss, moving his hands to grip at Cloud’s face, pulling him in harder, he knew that he liked it. 

Just when his head began to spin in the delightful way it did when he hadn’t breathed for a long while, Angeal pulled away, a line of saliva connecting them. Cloud shivered, crooking his fingers inside himself, the angle of them making his stomach feel _hot._

“Here,” Angeal grunted, voice almost too gravely for him to make out what he’d said. Cloud let out a breath as one of Angeal’s hands shifted down to his cunt, warm and almost over-large, and Cloud slipped his fingers out of himself, giving him more space to work. 

The alpha groaned, deep in his throat, and pressed two fingers inside, the calloused drag of it drawing a moan from him. 

He shifted his hips, rocking them against his palm, watching as Angeal’s nostrils flared, Cloud’s scent rising between them. 

Angeal was diligent, apparently having enough self control to be able to resist the worst urges of his rut. He prepped him, pressing a third finger inside, the combined size of them already thicker than a fairly decent number of Cloud’s clients and he let out a thin whine, cock twitching against his stomach as Angeal continued the steady ministrations. 

He let out a ragged breath when Angeal’s scent turned even headier, coating the back of his throat and tongue and making him feel as if he was being claimed by the alpha. 

They had to get on with this, if Angeal was already smelling as strong as he was. 

“Alright,” Cloud rasped, shifting his hips the tiniest bit when Angeal paused. “Yeah, you can put it in, I’m ready.” 

The scent of his relief was palpable, and Cloud felt the tiniest bit bad for making him wait as long. Angeal nodded, hair already flopping into his face, as he pulled his fingers out and shifted to pull his underwear off. 

And Cloud blinked, not knowing what to say at the sight of it.

He could only stare at the length in Angeal’s hand, his stomach twisting, not quite uneasy, but, well. 

Angeal looked up at him, eyes lidded, cheeks red, still managing to hold himself together as he ran his palm over his cock, the length hardening further. “What’s wrong?” He rasped, voice low, and Cloud’s eyes darted back to the cock that was now in between his legs, not quite touching his skin yet, but close enough that he could feel the heat of it. 

He opened his mouth, a frantic giggle leaving him before he paused, and tried again. “Um, well,” another awkward laugh, his cunt dribbling and tightening, as if knowing what was about to happen. “Uh-“

“Why are you laughing?” Angeal asked, still managing to look incredulous despite the rut scent getting even heavier, and Cloud swallowed, hard. 

He let out a hard breath, eyeing the precum that dribbled from the head of it, a heavy warmth pooling deep in his gut. “Okay, uh, I’m not laughing at you.” He said, trying to word it correctly, the _sounds_ of Angeal jerking himself off were enough to make him wetter. “But, uh, that’s the biggest dick I’ve ever seen.” 

There was a brief silence between them, Angeal breaking it with an unbelieving snort, and Cloud babbled, continuing, mentally berating his lack of professionalism. “I mean, I’m serious. It might not fit.” 

Angeal gave him a _look_ and Cloud spoke again, looking back at his cock with a newfound energy. “Okay, okay. We can figure this out.” He said, moving his hand back down to his cunt, pumping three fingers in quickly, gathering slick on his fingers with a few easy motions. “Come here,” he said, undemanding, relieved when Angeal listened and he was able to get his hand around his cock. 

Well, “around” was a strong word. He wasn’t able to close his hand completely. 

A thin whine left him, another dribble of slick leaking out of his cunt as he dragged his palm over the hot length. 

It twitched in his palm at the same time Angeal let out a broken groan from above him, and Cloud let out a ragged sigh, head spinning at the idea of what was about to happen. “Lean in closer,” he said, voice quieter, feeling oddly breathless when Angeal pressed his hips in closer, the head just barely close enough to kiss the entrance to his cunt. 

“Fuck,” Cloud sighed, moving his other hand down to spread himself open, lining the head of Angeal’s cock up with his hole as the alpha’s hips stuttered dangerously. 

Angeal’s arms were trembling, just barely, from where he was holding himself up above him, and Cloud looked up, his entire body going hot at the sight of the panting alpha above him. He looked as if he was barely holding himself together. 

“Okay,” he said, breathless, directing him to push in, the head of his cock easing in with a fiery sensation. He groaned, the sound thin in the back of his throat. “Go, go in, lightly. Okay?” He said as Angeal nodded, a heavy breath leaving him as he leaned down further into his space, head burrowing into his neck as he pushed his hips forward. 

A _moan_ left him and he spread his thighs wider at the gentle press inside, his hips already trembling at the unrelenting weight of him inside. _Fuck,_ he was thick, heavy and warm and he felt dizzy with it, another groan leaving him as Angeal pulled out the tiniest bit before pushing in further, Cloud’s hand still guiding him in deeper. 

The wet sounds in between them were obscene, and when Angeal pulled out a second time to try and press in further again, his cunt tightened, spurting just a little around him, as if to ease him in further. A choked breath left him, the warm scent of their pheromones making him feel dizzy, like he’d be able to take in the entire length and more besides. 

“ _Ngh,_ Cloud,” Angeal panted, his words getting caught against his skin and Cloud could only groan and pull his spare hand back, running a hand through the alpha’s hair. The prickle of his stubble against his skin was intense, an entirely different sensation from everything else, and he drew in a deep, desperate breath as Angeal pressed in further. 

A strained, nonsensical sound left him as Angeal just _kept going,_ the feeling endless. 

He, he was just so thick, the weight of his cock feeling heavy in his gut and Cloud whined, unable to even roll his hips, the pressure of it overwhelming. “An-“ he breathed, cutting himself off when Angeal pulled back the tiniest bit, a gush of slick leaving him on the pullback. 

Angeal pressed back in, further than before, still going slow to try and help him adjust and Cloud felt as if his mind was melting. 

“Fuck,” he groaned, spreading his legs wider as Angeal just kept going, speeding up now, pumping in and out, but still easing himself in further. “You’re, you-“ he stammered when one of Angeal’s hands squeezed at his waist, as if to calm him. A whine left him, the stretch of his cock almost unbearable. 

Fuck, Cloud wasn’t so sure he’d be able to bounce back so fast after this rut. 

Angeal grunted, the sound low and deep in his throat, sounding as if he was close to losing it. Cloud babbled, stammering as Angeal sank a bit deeper inside of him, like he was trying to bury himself inside of Cloud. “Good, good boy,” he rasped, running a hand through Angeal’s sweaty hair, a breath stuttering out of his chest at the way his words made Angeal’s hips twitch. 

His head spun, and he felt as if he was floating, the sheets beneath him acting as a lifeline as Angeal pumped into him, faster this time. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he whined, shifting weakly, eyelids fluttering as Angeal carved his way through his insides. It felt like he was molding Cloud around him, like he was trying to make it so his body never forgot who he was. 

Cloud let out a breath, goosebumps trailing down his skin, and felt his body go slack when their hips connected with a slight thud. 

It felt like he couldn’t breathe. 

A noise left him, impossible for even him to decipher, as Angeal slumped on top of him, his arms straining to hold him up from crushing Cloud entirely. 

Cloud allowed himself a moment to adjust to the sensation of being filled so fully, so completely, his entire core feeling _hot_ and almost sticky with the warmth in his body. 

A deep throb came from his tattoo and he moaned, burning in shame at the thought that it still _worked_ without the help of Corneo’s aphrodisiacs. 

His throat felt raw already, and he breathed in deep, scenting at the air around the two of them, Angeal’s musk covering everything in a heady haze, leaving him almost unable to scent anything else. 

How the fuck had anyone else ever had sex with this man?

It took him a moment to realize that Angeal had begun speaking, his voice gravelly enough that he’d almost chalked it up to growling. “You okay?” The words were muffled as Angeal had long since buried his face into his neck, and he nodded, his cunt finally relaxing enough around his cock that it felt less uncomfortable and mostly just, well, weighty. 

“Yeah,” he breathed, an odd thrill running through him when Angeal squeezed at his hip bones again, as if to comfort him with his touch. “If,” he began again, picking his words carefully, his head still spinning at the fullness of it all. “If you want to start moving, you can.” 

He let his eyes fall shut, already tired, and rolled his hips the tiniest bit, almost choking at the sensation. “Not too hard though, not yet.” The _please_ was left unsaid, but the whine at the end of his words made it clear enough. 

Angeal huffed out a strained laugh against his skin, sounding as if he was almost in pain, and Cloud scratched at his scalp, trying to comfort the alpha as best as he could. 

He pulled out of him, just the smallest bit, and Cloud exhaled, a wet noise escaping from between them when Angeal fucked back into him. A groan left him, his legs feeling oddly weak, as both of Angeal’s hands moved to grip at his hips so he could fuck him deeper, still not as hard as Cloud knew he wanted to, but still enough that it made his entire body quake. 

_”Ngh,”_ he groaned, shifting to press his cheek into the side of Angeal’s head, breathing in his scent as he rubbed his face against the scratchy stubble of his cheek. 

For a long while, the only sounds between them were their strained breaths, and the sloppy sounds from Cloud’s cunt as Angeal kept working at him. 

Then, Angeal slammed his hips in deeper, harder than he had before, and the sensation of their skin clapping together was enough to draw another moan from Cloud. He whined, forcing his heavy arms to move up and wrap around Angeal’s shoulders, drawing the alpha in further as his thrusts sped up. 

He was almost too warm, Cloud’s head felt fuzzy with it, like it’d been stuffed with cotton, and he hadn’t realized that he’d started babbling until Angeal answered in suit. “Fuck, _haah,_ you’re so b-big alp _ha-_ ”

The wet drag of Angeal’s tongue against his neck had him groaning, back arching, his entire body flushing with a new sort of heat when Angeal moaned. “You’re _wet-_ ” and Cloud fought the urge to preen, the omega in him feeling almost desperate to present itself at the sound of those words. 

It was all he could do to tighten around him, massage him from the inside, the nip at his skin was enough of an answer as any sort of verbalization. 

Angeal slammed into him, hard enough to rock his body further up the bed and Cloud gasped, feeling oddly weightless. 

And then, Cloud felt it, the beginnings of his knot beginning to tug at the rim of his cunt and he groaned at the thought. Fuck. _Fuck._ He was going to split him open. 

From above him, Angeal whined, a frantic edge to his voice, and Cloud felt his tattoo throb in sympathy. An aborted half-moan left him as the alpha gripped his hips and rocked himself deeper into him, the strain of his thighs feeling almost sweet, the sensation of being filled so completely making him feel almost stupid. 

“Knot me, alpha,” he whined, unable to stop himself from uttering the words, an uncomfortable heat spreading through him at the realization of what he’d just said. Fuck. He forced himself to relax, muscles going slack despite him wanting to do nothing more than tighten down on Angeal’s cock. 

The alpha groaned again, an edge of hysteria to his voice as he thrust forward hard enough that Cloud could feel it in his _throat-_

The heat in his stomach _burst_ and he trembled, body seizing at the rush that ran through him, the wet splatter of his slick on the sheets beneath him was the only sound from him as his chest tightened, leaving him unable to make a noise. 

Angeal swore, pushing in one last time, knot popping fully into him as it expanded, the size of it dizzying. 

He whined, the sound of it almost inhuman, as Angeal’s cock twitched inside him, the heavy spurts of his cum painting his insides and making his core feel molten. 

It was all he could do to breathe, leg absently twitching as Angeal just kept _cumming-_

The alpha licked a heavy stripe against his neck, the drag of his tongue enough to rouse him, and Cloud absently scratched at his scalp as he tried to catch his breath. Every time he exhaled, he could _feel it._

Angeal’s breathing was ragged above him, and Cloud closed his eyes, the occasional throb of Angeal’s cock inside him making his cunt drool with the sensation. 

“Are you good?” Cloud asked, his voice sounding dazed even to his own ears, and Angeal just buried his head in deeper, inhaling the scent straight from Cloud’s glands, his thighs tensing occasionally. 

Well, he seemed alright, at least. 

He sighed, the weight of his knot still heavy and overwhelming, and decided that it was best to give them both some time to come back to themselves. 

-

Angeal’s cock slowly became easier to take the longer they were at it, and for that, Cloud was grateful. 

What didn’t change, though, was the space it took up, how it seemed to press everything inside him to the side and force his body to mold itself around him. Cloud knew that if he looked down at his stomach, he’d be able to see the bulge of his cock through his skin as he fucked him, and that was enough to make his entire body go weak. 

Still though, despite how fucking _hot_ it was, Angeal’s cock was big enough that it wasn’t the most comfortable to take. 

They’d changed positions a while ago, Cloud had no idea when. Angeal had flipped him over on his stomach, ass in the air, head buried in the sheets, as he fucked into him from behind. 

A whine left him as the alpha pressed deeper, burying himself into Cloud’s cunt as if he wanted to never leave, and he breathed in through his nose, out through his mouth, head spinning as Angeal used him to bring himself to climax. 

His stomach squeezed, feeling tight and overfull as Angeal’s cock took up space inside him and he groaned as the alpha sped up, a brief feeling of panic running through him when his gut strained and tightened. 

“Shit,” he whined as Angeal let out a short chuckle. The velvety pull of his length inside him was _hot,_ a dribble of slick oozing from his cunt as Angeal kept fucking him with languid strokes, taking his time now that the initial rush of his rut had abated. 

A frantic _rush_ ran through him and he shivered, thighs clenching as a wave of _something_ crashed over him. _Goddess_. 

He whined, tightening around Angeal’s cock, feeling as if he was about to fall apart. 

“Angeal, Angeal,” he stammered, trembling when he paused in his thrusts, the lack of motion almost threatening to bowl him over. “I’m, fuck, you might make me squirt.” He whined, rolling his hips the tiniest bit, the wet feeling of his thighs sticking together made him burn hotter. 

Normally alphas were into it, but he had to at least give him a warning. This one felt _bad_. He’d already done it with Genesis but he had to check-

Angeal let out a short, disbelieving huff as he leaned in closer. “That’s cute.” And Cloud blinked, dazed, the complement seeming almost out of place considering Angeal was _destroying_ his insides. 

“Cute?” The question left him before he could even think about stopping it, tongue feeling thick in his mouth as Angeal pulled out the smallest bit before pushing back in again.

“Yeah,” the alpha rasped, his lips brushing against the back of his ear, forcing a shiver from him. Cloud blinked, listening to the way Angeal began panting, rolling his hips the slightest bit as he kept speaking, sounding utterly _wrecked._ “Not being able to hold it while I knot you, it’s cute.” There was a wet rasp of tongue over the shell of his ear and Cloud shivered again, having to tighten his stomach to keep from making any messes. 

Well, so long as Angeal was into it. 

“Okay, yeah.” He said, his blood running _hot_ at the low growl that came from the alpha. “Pull me off-“ 

Angeal moved him, as if knowing what he was about to say, shifting backwards and pulling Cloud with him, enough that his bottom half was off the bed, his chest still splayed across it and his legs feet were touching the floor. 

Ugh, fuck, Cloud _liked_ this position-

Angeal _slammed_ into him again, hips clapping against his ass as he fucked into him, and Cloud went lightheaded for a brief instant, head swimming as he groaned, gripping at the sheets as Angeal gave him a reminder of why they were in this situation in the first place-

_Fuck._

He whined, having to lock his knees to keep from collapsing as Angeal fucked him. He, fuck, Angeal got more leverage like this and he was _using it,_ Cloud felt like his insides were burning, his walls trying their hardest to tighten around him despite being overwarm and lax from use. 

A whimper left him as he let himself go boneless against the sheets, unable to bring himself to even feel embarrassed about the sounds his slick made as it spattered on the floor, far more blatant now that it wasn’t caught by sheets. 

His stomach _ached,_ his entire lower half feeling tight and strained as he gave a last, desperate attempt to keep from losing himself. Angeal’s cock was a weight inside him, pressing into his insides, and Cloud was half sure that no one else had ever fucked him as deep as Angeal was doing at the moment. 

A sob ripped from his chest and he _burned_ in humiliation, legs trembling as the beginnings of Angeal’s knot tugged at the rim of his hole, a precursor of what was to come. He felt too full, it was almost too much, the way Angeal just kept fucking into him, carving a space for himself inside Cloud, he couldn’t stand it. 

“I-“ Cloud moaned, unable to finish the thought as Angeal’s knot popped in, still not fully engorged, but it was just too _much-_

He sobbed again, weak with it, a choked off mewl leaving him when Angeal ground his hips into his ass, as if trying to force himself even deeper. His core felt like liquid fire, his cunt throbbing with the ache of holding the alpha’s cock inside it. 

When Angeal eased his half-formed knot out once more, the girth of it almost large enough to hurt, Cloud’s legs gave way. 

His eyes went half lidded and he groaned, grateful for the way Angeal gripped his hips, holding him up off the floor. 

He shivered, body trembling, unable to do anything beyond take it as Angeal pumped into him once, twice more. 

The tension released from his gut all at once, and he bit his lip, muffling a sob as his body unfurled around Angeal’s knot. 

The sounds of his spend hitting the floor was almost drowned out by Angeal’s pleased growl and Cloud whined, burying his face into the sheets as the massive fingers tightened around his hips, the heavy pulse of his cock inside of him forcing another groan from his lips. 

His cunt _throbbed_ again, another gush of slick leaving him and spattering against the floor as his body trembled, entirely wrung out. 

Cloud twitched after a moment, trying to force his unresponsive limbs to work. 

Angeal’s hot weight pressed down on top of him, over his back, leaning in again to mouth at the back of Cloud’s neck, entirely unbothered by everything. He let out a breath, body almost painfully sore in the aftermath, the feeling of Angeal’s knot in his cunt was still full, still almost overwhelming, but Cloud was embarrassed to admit to himself that it felt _better_ now. 

His tattoo felt warm, just enough to force Cloud to pay attention to it. He’d, fuck, he’d have to check it out after this rut. 

“You alright?” Angeal murmured against his skin, gravelly and tired, and Cloud could feel the way the tension had almost entirely drained from the man. 

He nodded, sniffling once, coming back to himself enough to wipe at the tear tracks on his cheeks. “Yeah,” a pause, “sorry about your floor.” 

And Angeal just chuckled, Cloud could feel the way his lips curled into a small smile as they pressed against his skin. 

He had no idea how he was entirely unashamed, Cloud was already regretting it. 

“It’s nothing,” Angeal said, mild amusement clear in his voice, and Cloud closed his eyes for a moment, just listening to him speak as he went on. “I’m glad you’re able to enjoy yourself.” 

And, despite everything, Cloud let out a laugh, a low groan in the back of his throat as it jostled the knot inside him. He really, truly, had no idea how Angeal had ever managed to fit it into anyone else. 

Well, he still had more time to get used to it, and it wasn’t as if this was going to be a one-time thing. 

Something in his stomach tightened at the thought of it, and Angeal groaned above him, and another hot spurt of cum in his cunt made Cloud shiver. 

Yeah, definitely not a one-time thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angeal "dick too big" Hewley pulling up with a vengeance. King. Cloud is too teeny to handle ur massive meat I guess smh 
> 
> Okay! Hopefully that was a good chap :DD I think I'm going to switch around updates for every two weeks instead of every week, because they're kinda lengthening faster than I can really handle lol the porn is demanding I guess lmao! 
> 
> Also thank u guys again jfghjhfg I'm glad you like it so far!! Tysm you're all so nice aaaa


	7. Chapter 7

Cloud straddled Angeal’s chest, a light breath leaving him as he eased down on his cock, the burn of it pleasant inside him. They were both tired, their surroundings seeming almost distant around them as time wore on. 

He groaned, rolling his hips against Angeal’s own once they connected with a soft sound. From underneath him, Angeal made a noise, the sound of it getting caught in the back of his throat, and Cloud let out a low rumble, pleased, as the alpha grabbed at his hips with gentle hands, entirely undemanding, just ready to watch Cloud as he worked. 

And when Angeal’s hand moved to lightly press at his stomach, palm flat against his skin, he trembled, the weight of his cock inside him feeling far more intense than it had before. 

The muscles in his thighs burned as he pushed himself up, his hands palming at Angeal’s pecs as he moved. The liquid heat in his stomach _burned_ and he mewled, the sound light and airy as his toes curled. 

The soft sounds of wetness between the two of them were growing louder, and he focused instead on the sounds coming from Angeal, having to use it to gain some sort of understanding as to what he was thinking. 

When his breath hitched, just the slightest bit, Cloud knew what was coming. 

“Come on,” he breathed, sinking back down on his length, feeling the way his knot was just barely emerging. “Knot for me, alpha, you can do it.” It was hard to keep the teasing lilt from his voice, but the new press of Angeal’s hand against his tattoo had him gasping, eyes fluttering shut as he forced himself to breathe again. 

Angeal’s other hand shifted, the heavy drag of it was enough to make his head spin, and another thin sigh left him as it wrapped around his cock. A whine dragged its way from his throat, and he shifted his hips, tightening down around Angeal’s knot when he felt it throb inside him. 

“There you go-“ he gasped, shivering when a dribble of slick managed to leak from him. 

Angeal let out a breath, shifting his own hips and trying to press up further into Cloud. It was _warm_ and when Cloud ground his ass back down to meet him, it almost felt like he could feel his cock in his throat. 

When Angeal came with a broken growl, Cloud trembled, chest bowing and nails dragging against his pecs when Angeal just kept jacking him off, forcing Cloud to cum with a whine. 

He shivered, feeling overly warm, as if he’d melt apart. Angeal’s hands shifted, wiping his mess off on the sheets before moving up to grab at Cloud’s chest and force him to lay down on top of him. He followed his easy commands with a sigh, moving in just the right way to keep his knot from shifting too much inside him. 

He was small enough compared to him that he was able to rest his head against one of Angeal’s pecs, and that thought refused to leave him alone. 

They were both quiet, for a while, and when Cloud scented the air, he was pleased to realize that the rut scent had abated a bit. 

Angeal had never been too deep in his rut, not like the others, but Cloud was beginning to think that he wouldn’t have survived if that had been the case. 

“How do you feel?” He rasped, the sound of it half-muffled from his cheek pressing against Angeal’s breast. The light scratch of his chest hair against his skin was enough to have his cock twitching all over again, it was _nice._

A quiet laugh left the alpha, and Cloud was relieved. The heavy, calloused hands that swept over his spine, tracing thin, looping designs, was enough to reduce him to a shivery mess. “I’m alright,” Angeal said, pressing a kiss against his hair, ruffling it with the short motion, and Cloud smiled, his chest feeling warm despite how tired he was. 

“That’s good,” he said, moving his fingers to idly trace at the lines of his muscles. “From what I can smell, I think you might be done with your rut s-“ he cut himself off with a moan, shivering when Angeal grunted, his cock throbbing as another rush of cum filled his cunt. 

Cloud panted, shifting his hips the tiniest bit once he was sure Angeal had finished, face flushing a little in embarrassment. “Yeah, I think you might be done soon.” And Angeal huffed out a laugh, one of his hands moving down Cloud’s back to knead at his ass, just enough to have him groaning anew. 

Fuck, these detail-oriented alphas were going to kill him. Cloud was starting to miss his more mindless clients, at least they didn’t make him almost pass out from how good they fucked him. It was starting to feel like he wasn’t even working at this point. 

Well, whatever, at least he was getting paid. 

When Angeal’s knot softened enough that he was able to slip off of it with little trouble, he leaned forward, pressing an almost chaste kiss against the mans brow. 

Angeal gave him an indulgent smile, seeming pleased enough with how everything was going, and Cloud couldn’t help the small rush of pride that filled him at that. They settled in with each other, Cloud still relaxing on top of him, and he let himself have a moment to close his eyes, drawing in a short breath and listening to the way Angeal’s heart thudded in his chest. 

It was strong enough that he could feel it, even. 

They laid like that, for a while, and Cloud allowed himself to have the moment. 

-

Angeal’s rut ended without as much fanfare as Genesis or Zack’s, the alpha simply pressing a warm kiss against Cloud’s cheek as he stood and left to go shower, leaving Cloud alone in the bed. 

He stretched against the still-warm sheets, the pleasant burn in his muscles was enough to make him shiver.

Angeal had been _tiring,_ he may not have been as aggressive as the others but he made up for it with a, frankly, terrifying amount of stamina. Cloud felt as if he could sleep for a month straight, if time allowed for it. 

The rest of the morning passed without much fanfare, the both of them getting ready and cleaning up around each other, skirting around and going through their own post-rut routines. It felt oddly domestic, and when Angeal eventually cornered him in the kitchen and handed him a cup of coffee already laden with cream and sugar, he felt something twist in his chest. 

“Thank you,” he said, accepting it with as warm a smile as he could muster, Angeal giving him an easy grin in return. He reached out to squeeze a hand against Angeal’s forearm, feeling the muscle ease slightly underneath his weak grip. “Everything feels alright, yeah? Nothing too off?” He asked, voice light and teasing, relieved when the alpha gave him a small, but indulgent, smile. 

“Everything’s fine, thank you.” Angeal said, sounding as if he was humoring Cloud. His grin got an edge of amusement to it, and Cloud resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he spoke again. “I think I should be asking you if you’re alright, if what you said was true.” 

Cloud sighed, feigning an aggrieved attitude, unable to keep a small grin from worming its way onto his face. “I really didn’t lie, Angeal, you’re definitely the biggest person I’ve ever taken.” 

He could _smell_ how satisfied that made the alpha feel, and took a quick sip of his coffee to bring his control back. He spoke again, after a short moment, tongue stinging the slightest bit from the heat of the drink. “If you feel alright enough to make jokes about it though, you should be fine.” He said, lips curling over the edge of his mug in a short grin as Angeal huffed out a laugh, running one of his hands through his still-wet hair. 

“I’m fine, really, thank you for helping out.” Angeal said, his expression turning more serious at the end, and Cloud straightened, giving the man a steady nod as he set the mug down on the counter. 

“Really, it’s no problem.” He started, looking him in the eyes and trying his best to get across the fact that it really _wasn’t._ The firsts seemed to have a bad habit of thinking that he was really going out of his way instead of just, well, doing his job. “Just be sure to tell me everything you need, okay? I don’t like it when people try to keep info from me when it would just make everything easier for both parties.” 

Fuck, he still felt bad about letting Genesis bite him when there’d been a rule set up to keep that from happening. He should’ve been more attentive when it came to that. 

Well, he wouldn’t let it happen again. 

Angeal gave him a _look,_ almost painfully serious compared to their earlier banter, and it was hard to keep from squirming. “Of course. I hadn’t needed anything set up earlier, though, and nothing had gone wrong during my rut, so it’s fine for now.” And Cloud nodded, accepting his words with ease. 

“As long as you tell me if anything changes with your preferences, I’ll be fine.” 

Angeal seemed to accept that, from what Cloud could tell. There was still and edge of _something_ to the air that he couldn’t quite place, and he resisted the urge to sigh, taking a long sip of his coffee instead. 

There wasn’t much to say after that, everything had already been said. Cloud finished his coffee with another long swallow, setting it in the sink with a quiet noise before finally giving in to the urge to lean in and give Angeal a bracing half-hug, the alpha stiffening for an instant before melting into Cloud’s touch. 

He just barely made it up to Angeal’s collarbones, but the alpha was the one that leaned into his space, wrapping his arms around Cloud and giving him a brief squeeze, enough to earn him a short huff of air. “There we go,” Cloud murmured, gently patting him on the back as Angeal breathed in deeply, stuffing his face into the junction between Cloud’s neck and shoulder. 

It felt oddly reminiscent of the way Zack had hugged him outside that restaurant. 

They separated after another handful of moments, Cloud giving his biceps a bracing squeeze as Angeal looked at anywhere that wasn’t his face. It was a little sweet, in a way. “If you need anything, please feel free to message me,” he said, voice gentle. “I have no idea how the mako treatments effect your rut, but I know that it’s probably not easy to deal with.” 

He only pulled away fully when Angeal nodded, needing the confirmation from him before he could even think of leaving. 

A breath left him and he looked over at the bag he’d brought over, the bone-deep sense of tiredness already beginning to weigh on him. Angeal interrupted the silence, sounding nearly the same as he had before, but lighter, somehow. “Cloud, if you need to go home, then you can.” 

He was gonna have to take him up on that offer, Cloud wasn’t too sure he’d be able to handle a heavier conversation right now, his body was whining for him to get to sleep. “Alright, well, again, if you need to talk about anything, please text me.” He said, needing the final confirmation of Angeal nodding his head again before being able to leave in good conscience. 

And, with one last look at the alpha, quietly noting the way he seemed close to sleep himself, Cloud headed out, ready to trudge back home and sleep for as long as his body would physically allow. That coffee would definitely help him to get back home, but he already knew that it wouldn’t do anything to actually keep him awake for the rest of the day. 

It was when he was checking his phone for any missed messages, going through his standard routine on the way back, that his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. 

_Seventeen missed messages and three missed calls from Tifa._

It was almost impossible to keep from entirely stopping in his tracks, the only thing pushing him forward was the fact that it probably wasn’t the best idea for him to stand around outside smelling the way he did. 

An uneasy feeling pooled in his gut on the way home, the worsening ache of his muscles making it feel even more pronounced. The sudden anxiety made his fingers shake, and he tightened his grip on his phone, squeezing it hard enough in the palm of his hand that the cool plastic of his phone case began biting into his skin. 

He skirted around the few people that were out, no one wanting to be outside longer than necessary when it was as late in the year as it was, and he was _stupidly_ grateful that that was the case. 

Omegas that smelled stressed tended to draw alphas like a beacon, he didn’t want to deal with that right now. 

A relieved breath left him when he finally drew back to his apartment, and he almost ran up the stairs to push his way inside the front door to the complex. The woman behind the front desk gave him a lazy nod, Cloud doing the bare minimum to return it, before he started towards the flight of stairs. 

The walk up the cold concrete stairwell was a miserable one. If not for the way his muscles felt as if they were _burning_ then it was the way he almost had to lock his knees to keep from trembling apart. 

Fuck, one bad sign from Tifa and he already felt like he was back at Corneo’s place. 

The relief he felt when he was able to shove his key in the lock and force his way back into his apartment was almost enough to bring him to the ground. A breath left him and he made sure to lock the door behind him, not trusting _anything_ until he figured out what Tifa needed to talk to him about. 

This was almost too much for him, compared to how fine everything had been this morning, it felt like everything was crashing down on him. 

He sank into his couch, dazed, and gave himself a moment to come back to himself before unlocking his phone again and reading through the messages. 

The most recent one was confusing, offering no context. _”It was Bjorn,”_ and Cloud had to scroll up, moving over to sit up, balancing his elbows on his knees and ignoring the way his jumping leg rattled the phone. 

Slowly, the picture painted itself, a trembling breath leaving him when he realized what was happening. 

Corneo never did like competition. 

Apparently now he was doing something about it. 

With shaking fingers, he called Tifa back, relief filling him when she answered after the first ring. _”Cloud,”_ she began, palpable relief in her own voice as she spoke, and he sank back into the couch, feeling worn. “Where were you, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you the past few days.” Fuck, he didn’t want to even think of how worried she had to have been. 

“I was with a client,” he said, voice tired, closing his eyes as he kept going. “I guess you were right about Corneo being up to something, fuck. Can you run through it all from the top?” 

Tifa let out a relieved chuckle, and he could hear Aerith’s quiet chatter in the background, a worried lilt to the alpha’s voice. “Yeah. He’s been getting angrier about all his honeybees that have been leaving.” He had no idea why Corneo would even be shocked, he treated them like fucking _cattle._ “They’ve been taking business from him, like you did, when you left.”

Yeah, yeah. When he’d managed to leave he’d taken a small handful of clients with him. Regulars, Corneo had called them, when he worked under him. “I guess it’s pissed him off, huh?” He asked, absently rubbing at his eyes as Tifa chuckled sadly, amusement almost entirely absent from her voice. 

“That’s one way of putting it. I’ve been hearing that a few omegas have been getting hassled on the streets lately, so I tried to keep an eye on it.” Her voice was _thick_ with concern, and Cloud braced himself. “I think he’s trying to take out competition. Bjorn, the one that was found, apparently had the tattoo on his stomach.” 

Fuck. 

“I guess it is pretty identifiable, huh?” He rasped, fear making his throat feel tight. “What happened to him?” 

Tifa paused, for a moment, before speaking again. “They found him behind a dumpster down in the slums. Nothing had, well, _happened_ to him before he died, but he’d been killed by someone. My bets are that it’s Corneo’s men. It’d be too perfect otherwise.” Yeah, yeah it made too much sense. 

He let out a sigh, closing his eyes and letting his head hit the back of the couch. “What should we do, Tifa?” He asked, voice thin, as she answered. 

“Alright, well, you’re gonna text me before you see any clients, alright?” She said, and he made a sound of approval as she went on, voice growing tighter. “If it gets any worse, I’ll see if Barret, Cid, or maybe Vincent can escort you to the places, alright? They’re not liking the way this is going either. You should’ve seen Barret’s face when we found out.” There was a pause in her words, for a moment. “Cid said that you can come pick up Nanaki if you need to walk anywhere more dangerous than normal.” That was a good idea, actually. He had a feeling that people would be less likely to talk to him in general if he had the shepherd with him. 

Cloud gave a weak chuckle, the ache from Angeal’s rut fully settling into his body and leaving him feeling worn. “Yeah, alright. That’s a good idea, I’ll pick him up if I ever need anything. I don’t wanna worry you guys, I’ll be careful.” 

He didn’t want to _die_ either, fuck. 

Tifa made a sad noise, the sound seeming out of place when it came to her. “Please, Cloud, make sure that you do, okay? I’ll give updates if anything happens with what’s going on, but right now it doesn’t look like any resolution is going to come soon. Investigators don’t care about sex workers, you know that.” Yeah, he did. She wasn’t wrong, at all. 

Tifa wasn’t in the clear yet either, just because she didn’t do that sort of work anymore didn’t mean that Corneo wouldn’t potentially target her too. Especially considering how blatant her tattoo was, with the clothing she wears. 

“Watch out too, alright?” He asked, relieved despite everything when she made a small noise of confirmation. “I’ll come visit soon again after I sleep for, like, twelve hours.” 

That earned him a genuine laugh, and a tired smile creeped its way onto his face. “Seriously, go take a nap, oh my gosh Cloud. I think you’ve earned it.” And _that_ managed to draw a laugh from him. 

They said their goodbyes, and when Cloud hung the phone up, he felt oddly bereft. 

Corneo causing trouble like this wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it was more violent than he’d been expecting. 

A yawn left him and he grimaced, rubbing at his eyes again as he forced himself to stand, feeling utterly drained. Fuck, Angeal had wiped him out. He was gonna have to get some sleep before even thinking about what was happening. It was all too much right now. 

Somehow, he managed to take some pain medicine and drag himself to bed, the soft mattress letting him slip into sleep before he even knew what hit him. 

-

When he woke up again he felt better. Still not quite the best, but better nonetheless. 

He stretched, joints popping as they repositioned themselves, and forced himself from bed, already able to tell that he needed a shower. Ugh, he was sweaty. 

He had no idea what time of day it was, but the shower was relaxing enough, and he gave himself the chance to go through his regular routine, finally feeling back to normal after a particularly brutal few days. Checking his phone as he waited for his coffee to brew showed him that he’d gotten a few messages. Some from the Firsts, most from Tifa, and he quietly answered back as many as he could. 

The situation with Corneo hadn’t gotten any worse since he’d slept, thankfully, at least from what Tifa knew. Genesis had also messaged him, astonishingly enough, and it earned a snort from him. 

Genesis: _”Do you need me to send you a care package, dear? Angeal told us he’d spent his rut with you and I can only imagine that you must feel as if you’d been chewed up and spat back out.”_

Goddess, Genesis wasn’t wrong about that. It made him feel a little better to know that, well, at least Angeal had a reputation. 

A little embarrassing too, that apparently they talked about him when he wasn’t there. 

He gave short replies to each of them, a sigh of relief leaving him when his coffee machine sputtered to completion. He reached for the mug, lips pursing as he read through the message that _Sephiroth_ had also shot his way, the wording of it oddly stilted. 

Sephiroth: _”I’d like to speak with you privately about my upcoming rut, if that is possible to do. Please reply back with times you would be available.”_

It was oddly, huh, cute in a way. If he could put it like that. 

There was also an odd sense of satisfaction to be had at the fact that he’d been right in his prediction that Sephiroth would be like Genesis, and want to discuss plans beforehand. 

He took a small sip, grimacing lightly at the burn of it, as he typed his reply. 

Cloud: _”I’ll be free for most of the next few days, unless anything drastic comes up. Just pick a public place and time you’d like us to meet at and I can be there!”_

It didn’t take too long for him to reply, as if he’d been waiting for Cloud to text back. 

Sephiroth: _”Public place?”_

The Firsts really kept zeroing in on the “public” aspect of it, huh? 

Cloud: _”Standard practice! I just do first meetings in public, after a while we can meet up privately to talk about stuff. Just pick a favorite place of yours and we can chat there, alright?”_

He watched, mildly amused, as Sephiroth’s little typing icon popped up and down a few times, as if he was trying to figure out what to say to that. His phone vibrated as Sephiroth continued typing, and he let out an ugly snort at the text Zack had sent his way. 

Zack: _”Seph looks like he ate a lemon LOL”_

So they all _were_ together, huh? He felt a little bad, honestly, but liked Zack’s message anyway, turning his attention back to him and Sephiroth’s messages when the alpha finally answered. 

Sephiroth: _”This restaurant allows people to meet privately in the back. Is this to your satisfaction?”_

It wasn’t the place he’d first met them at, but it looked vaguely similar. Nothing too extreme, just a restaurant with a private lounge, but it was enough to draw a grin from him. 

Cloud: _”Perfect! Just send me the best times for you and we’ll be able to chat about whatever you want.”_

And Sephiroth did just that, picking a time for later in the day, just long enough from now that Cloud had ample time to get ready. 

It seemed like he wanted to get it over with, from what Cloud could tell. Well, he could understand. It was probably overwhelming to deal with when you weren’t used to it. 

He chose one of the more conservative outfits he had, nothing necessarily too stuffy, but something that managed to look normal enough in comparison to the rest of the clothes he always wore. He had a feeling that Sephiroth wanted to draw as little attention to himself as possible, and honestly, Cloud could understand his concern. 

He wasn’t going to break his public meeting rule, not until they spent this rut together at least, but he could definitely understand. Sephiroth’s fans seemed a little, uh, intense, by his standards. Cloud was a little concerned about them. 

And so, once he’d double checked to make sure his outfit was as casual as possible, and confirmed the location, he was off. 

He wouldn’t need to bring Nanaki with him, the location seemed good enough from what he’d been able to tell. But, still, he shot a message to Tifa just in case, letting her know where he’d be. 

-

The place itself that Sephiroth had brought up was nice, fairly plain and innocuous, and Cloud couldn’t help but be a little surprised when he walked in. It just, well, it just looked like a normal restaurant. Sephiroth caught his eye almost instantly, but that was only because he knew what he was looking for. 

He’d put his ridiculous hair up in a low bun, already enough to change his appearance for the most part, but he’d also thrown on a hat that looked suspiciously like it was from Genesis, and a pair of sunglasses that had Zack written all over them. 

It was hard to keep from laughing, and Cloud had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from losing his composure. 

Why did the two of them _do that to the poor man?_

“Hey,” he said, walking up to him, his voice a little too amused as he tried in vain to keep it from showing. “How are you-“ 

The short, polite sound of someone clearing their throat made him shift, the employee who’d caught his attention looking embarrassed as she gave them an apologetic grin. “Sorry for interrupting sirs, I hadn’t noticed that you two were talking.” He could smell the _tiniest_ bit of annoyance from Sephiroth, but it was gone in a near-instant. “You two are the reservation for Strife, right? For the room in the back?” 

“Uh-“ he looked up at Sephiroth, the guy giving him a pointed nod, not opening his mouth for fear of being recognized. Jeez, he was really putting effort into this, huh? Even using Cloud’s name instead of his own. He turned back to the employee, giving her a soft enough smile that the worst of her nervous energy seemed to fade. “Yeah, that’s us, thank you.” 

She straightened, moving to circle around in front of them, gesturing further into the restaurant. The few customers that were there were entirely ignoring them, and Cloud could appreciate it. It was always nice to find places that had patrons who knew how to mind their business. “This way, just follow me!” And he did, Sephiroth trailing behind them after a moment, the employee leading them to the private room and gesturing for them to move in after opening the door that led to the smaller space. 

“Menus and everything are there, already. I’ll be back in a few moments to ask about drinks, feel free to take your time!” She seemed overly peppy and Cloud couldn’t tell if it was if she’d noticed who Sephiroth was underneath his paltry disguise or if it was just how she acted normally.

She left after that, at least, allowing them to settle themselves, and Cloud couldn’t help but chuckle as Sephiroth took his sunglasses off, looking out of his depth as he kept the hat on. 

This whole situation felt ridiculous. 

When it became apparent that Sephiroth didn’t want to break the silence, the SOLDIER apparently content to just sit, Cloud spoke, trying to keep any tension from his voice. “Alright, how’s everything going so far? Do you think you might start your rut soon?” He asked, getting straight to the point, mildly relieved when Sephiroth gave him a _look_. At least they were getting somewhere. 

“Mine does tend to come after Angeal’s, so yes.” Pointed, factual. Not giving Cloud much to work with here. 

He nodded, trying to work through the conversation in his head before speaking, not really knowing what to actually say to that. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” He paused, idly tapping his fingers on the plush seating underneath him, just needing something to fidget with. “Is there anything you wanted to discuss about the actual rut? Any important limits that I need to keep in mind?” Even if Sephiroth was already being tight fisted with his replies, Cloud was going to do his best to wring answers out from him, no matter what. 

He really didn’t want to go into this blind and end up making the guy uncomfortable, it wouldn’t make him feel the best, especially when he’d managed to make it alright for the other three. 

Sephiroth’s face was still, impassive, and Cloud couldn’t read _anything_ that was coming from him. 

“I’m going to hurt you during my rut,” Sephiroth said, finally, and Cloud blinked, completely blindsided by that. 

He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, Sephiroth’s face remaining flat as he struggled to find the words. 

The quiet knock from the doorway gave him a distraction, at least, and gave Sephiroth the chance to put his glasses back on. The waitress was back and Cloud just blindly picked the first thing that he saw on the menu, mind racing, unable to focus. 

Sephiroth, at least, seemed to be more familiar with the menu. 

After she left, Cloud exhaled, Sephiroth taking his sunglasses off a second time, allowing Cloud to look him in the eyes again. 

It was hard to read him, it really was, but something in his eyes kept drawing him up short. 

“Sephiroth,” Cloud began, not liking the way he seemed to relax in acceptance, as if Cloud had _accepted_ anything in the first place. “What do you mean by that? Is everything alright?” That, at least, seemed to, uh, confuse him? As if Cloud had been meant to freak out and respond poorly to what he’d said. 

“Everything is fine,” Sephiroth said, voice the tiniest bit smaller than before. If Cloud hadn’t been in the business for this long, he wouldn’t have noticed. “I handle my rut poorly, there may be trouble during our time together.” 

_’May,’_ okay so there was still a chance that it would be alright, at least. 

“Is there anything common that happens during your rut that is making you think that you’re going to hurt me?” Cloud asked, trying to be as gentle as possible, not liking the way Sephiroth absolutely refused to show an outward reaction to his question. 

“I have a bad habit of breaking things during my cycle.” Cloud was getting the feeling that that was an understatement. 

He pursed his lips, thinking, for a moment. “Alright, well, I guess we’ll see if I can do anything to help that.” Sephiroth gave him another look, as if he wasn’t sure if Cloud was fucking with him or not. “Really though, are there any strict lines that you don’t want me to cross? There’s no shame in requesting it, I really don’t mind.” 

“I,” Sephiroth began, actually _fumbling_ for a short second before continuing again, stronger this time. “My one request is that if I do end up harming you, that you call the other Firsts to come handle it. You don’t need to withstand it if I’m causing more harm than you can manage.” 

Cloud knew that he should probably feel worried about that, maybe get scared about how blunt Sephiroth was being, but he mostly just felt sad about his situation. 

His feelings might change if he ended up getting flayed but, well, that was for later, apparently. Besides, he’d been able to handle Angeal. Unless Sephiroth was entirely understating what he expected was going to happen, Cloud would probably be perfectly fine. 

“Of course,” he said, scanning Sephiroth’s face for any micro expressions, anything that gave him a sort of leg-up on how he was feeling, and was disappointed when he couldn’t find anything. “Are you sure there’s nothing else, though? No preferences for anything you’d want me to do during it?” Cloud had a feeling that Genesis would begin asking for particulars for his next time, if he had to take a guess about which SOLDIER would have requests, but he seriously couldn’t get a read on Sephiroth. 

It was a bit foreboding, normally he depended on expression during ruts to make sure he wasn’t doing anything the client loathed. He was going to have to be careful, this time. 

Sephiroth just shook his head, some strands of his bangs becoming undone from where he’d tucked it up into the hat, and Cloud fought a sigh. Alright, well, he’d handle it when they came around to it. 

The fact that Sephiroth had organized this meeting only to warn him about how he might hurt him felt sad, in a way. 

Cloud also appreciated it, though, he really didn’t want to get turn to shreds. That wouldn’t be good. Like, at all. 

Another knock at the door gave Sephiroth the chance to situate himself, again, and Cloud forced a smile on his face at the sight of the waitress carrying their food. The arrival of their food would give them both a chance to think, at least. Cloud knew that he needed to mull over what Sephiroth had told him, he didn’t exactly want to leave back to his apartment without knowing whether or not he had anything else to say. 

She left after a short moment, accepting their thank-yous before leaving, and Cloud picked at his food, eventually taking a bite of it, pleased when Sephiroth did the same. 

They were able to enjoy each other’s presence, at least. It was still awkward between them, neither of them quite knowing what to say to break through the last vestiges of the odd mood, but it was nice enough. 

At this point, Cloud would take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want u guys to kno that I was losing my mind reading yalls comments on the last chapter hfhfhfh im glad we can all freak out about Angeal's third leg together LMAO 
> 
> And now here we have Sephiroth doing his best to try and warn cloud while cloud is thinking back to Angeal like uh huh,, sure, u rlly think ur gonna be that bad? smh 
> 
> ALSO WTFFFF tysm for 500 kudos im??!?!?!?!? that's crazy fhhfdjfjh I posted this a lil earlier than I normally do so tysm omg <3 u guys are so sweet

**Author's Note:**

> Not me writing a multi-chap smut fic with sex worker Cloud;;; I had to feed myself and my very specific desires for a fic like this, so here we are I guess! Something I should probably mention is that male omegas and female alphas are both intersex in this au, it's expected and known that it's a thing that will happen :p if that's not your thing then this probably isn't going to be for you :0 
> 
> I rlly like Zacky Zack, my big man,, so he had to be first LMFAOOO he just deserves it. He also has the longer hair in this because I really like it lol. 
> 
> There's also going to be a larger plot here, buried underneath the porn. There's already some parts to it, either mentioned in passing or completely shoehorned in lol, so there's that! 
> 
> Also yes omg Cloud has one of the hentai womb tats on his stomach because the concept of it,, mwah, I'm into it
> 
> Also x2 u can follow me on twitter if u wanttttt, it's @/tiddygirls


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